< 


c 


A  VOLUME  OF  THE 
BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

BY  HEFES  B.  YASLIAH 


EDITED    FROM    AN   ARABIC    MS.    IN    THE   LIBRARY    OF   THE   DROPSIE 

COLLEGE,    TRANSLATED    INTO    HEBREW,    AND    PROVIDED 

WITH   CRITICAL   NOTES   AND   AN    INTRODUCTION 

BY  B.  HALPER,  M.A.,  PH.D. 


A  THESIS   SUBMITTED   MARCH   12,   1913 

IN  PARTIAL   FULFILMENT   OF   THE   REQUIREMENTS  FOR  THE 

DEGREE  OF  DOCTOR  OF  PHILOSOPHY  IN  THE  DROPSIE 

COLLEGE  FOR  HEBREW  AND  COGNATE  LEARNING 


PHILADELPHIA 
1915 


PRINTED   IN   ENGLAND 
AT  THE  OXFORD  UNIVERSITY   PRESS 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

INTRODUCTION 

CHAPTER  I.     The  Enumeration  of  Precepts        .         .  i 

CHAPTER  II.     Hefes  b.  Yasliah          ....  9 

CHAPTER  III.     The  Book  of  Precepts        ...  49 
CHAPTER  IV.     The  Preserved   Fragment    compared 

with  Maimonides -59 

CHAPTER  V.     The  Style  of  the  Book  of  Precepts        .  88 

CHAPTER  VI.     The  Manuscript         ....  94 

CHAPTER  VII.     References  to  Hefes  and  his  Book     .  100 

CHAPTER  VIII.     Conclusion 117 

ARABIC  TEXT 

Book  3,  Section  3,     Precept  8  .         .        .        .        .121 

„              „                 „       9 I22 

»               »      4a        „        i 127 

»                     »                          »           2     ......  130 

>»              >»                 )}       3   •         •        •  *35 

»               »                  >»       4   •  *37 

»               »                  »        5 J38 

j>               »                   >»        6 140 

»                    »                         a          7     •  I4I 

»               »                  „        8    .....  142 

»               »                  »        9 !43 

„  „      4  b        „        i  and  2 .         .         .         .143 

Book  4,  Section  i  a,  Precept  i 145 

»               j>                  ,,        2    .....  147 

»               »                  »       3 J47 

»               »                   »        4 !49 

»>               »                  »        5 J49 

»               »                  ,,6 149 


2092299 


IV 


CONTENTS 


Book  4,  Section  \  a,  Precept  7 


PAGE 


za 

z  a 


3Aa 


Book  5,  Precept  i      . 

•,  ti         2 

»  „      3 

HEBREW  TRANSLATION 
CORRECTIONS 
ADDITIONAL  NOTE    . 


I  . 

•  153 

2  . 

•  i54 

3  and  4  . 

•  155 

5  and  6  . 

.  156 

157 

8  .... 

.  158 

2  . 

160 

3 

.  161 

4  • 

.  162 

5  .... 

.  162 

164 

164 

165 

2  . 

•.  167 

3  . 

.  168 

4  •    ... 

169 

5  .    .    .  •  . 

.  171 

173 

2  .     .     .     . 

.   I76 

3  • 

.   178 

i  . 

.  180 

2  . 

.  180 

3  • 

.  184 

.  • 

•  195 

. 

.  198 

. 

2OI 

.    . 

.   219 

. 

.   278 

.... 

.   278 

A  VOLUME  OF  THE  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 
BY  HEFES  B.  YASLIAH 


INTRODUCTION 

I 
THE  ENUMERATION  OF  PRECEPTS 

ALTHOUGH  the  Mosaic  laws  must  have  been  exhaustively 
summed  up  during  the  early  tannaitic  period,  no  exact 
number  of  precepts  contained  in  the  Pentateuch  is  found 
in  the  Mishnah  or  Tosefta.  The  first  indisputably  explicit 
statement  that  the  Lord  gave  Moses  613  precepts  at 
Mount  Sinai  is  that  of  R.  Simlai,1  a  preacher  of  the 
third  Christian  century.2  At  first  sight  one  is  inclined 
to  assume  that  R.  Simlai  is  responsible  for  this  far- 

1  This  is  the  traditional  pronunciation  of  this  name.  In  Ezra  a.  46  we 
have  the  Ketib  Jyti&  and  Kere  »gjjfe?.  Comp.  Gen.  36.  36.  Accordingly 
we  ought  to  pronounce  it  Satnlat. 

2  DWI  niKo  ubv  rwcb  -6  now  nixo  rnn  *vhv&  -an  em 
i-nn'K  1333  r\vy  H:D^I  D'jww  DTINOI  nonn  ni?3*  pica  \^  porn 

DTN  PU*.  R.  Simlai  preached :  six  hundred  and  thirteen  precepts  were  revealed 
unto  Moses,  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  negative  precepts,  like  the  number  of 
the  days  oj  the  solar  year,  and  two  hundred  and  forty-eight  positive  precepts, 
corresponding  to  the  number  of  the  limbs  of  the  human  body  (Makkot  23  b). 

I  B 


2  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

reaching  statement.  Moi'se  Bloch  who  adopts  this  view 
gives  an  elaborate  explanation  of  this  talmudic  passage.3 
It  is  well  known  that  many  religious  disputations  took 
place  between  Jews  and  Christians  during  the  third  and 
fourth  centuries.  To  some  extent  there  was  a  danger 
that  the  line  of  demarcation  between  Jews  and  Christians 
would  be  removed,  especially  on  account  of  the  Jewish 
Christians.  R.  Simlai,  a  contemporary  of  Origen  with 
whom  he  probably  had  some  discussions,  foresaw  this 
danger,  and  in  order  to  guard  against  the  possible 
abrogation  of  certain  ordinances,  declared  that  just  as  the 
organization  of  the  human  body  and  the  course  of  the  sun 
are  immutable,  so  are  the  Mosaic  laws.  Accordingly,  the 
number  613  is  not  to  be  taken  mathematically  but  sym- 
bolically. R.  Simlai  never  meant  to  convey  that  all  the 
Mosaic  precepts  amount  to  613,  but  wished  to  emphasize 
their  immutability  by  comparing  them  with  two  immutable 
phenomena  of  nature  whose  sum  is  613. 

However  fascinating  this  theory  may  appear,  there  are 
serious  objections  which  tend  to  invalidate  it.  To  begin 
with,  this  number  is  found  in  the  Midrashim,  and  is  spoken 
of  by  subsequent  Amoraim,  as  a  fixed  dogma.4  Had 
R.  Simlai  been  the  originator  of  this  number,  this  statement 
would  have  been  ascribed  to  him  in  at  least  one  passage. 
One  would  expect  to  find  such  an  assertion  introduced  by 
some  such  words  as  ^DK'  n  "irDNHD,  as  is  customary 
throughout  the  Talmud.  It  is  almost  inconceivable  that 

»  REJ.,  I,  P.  208. 

4  See  Tatthunta,  Ki  Tese,  ed.  Buber,  2 ;  Exod.  Rabba  32.  i  ;  Num. 
Rabba  13.  16 ;  18.  21;  Shabbat  873;  Yebamot  47  b ;  Nedarim  253; 
Shebu'ot  293.  In  all  these  places  the  statement  that  there  are  613  precepts 
is  indirectly  referred  to,  and  is  obviously  taken  as  a  well-known  fact. 


INTRODUCTION  :     ENUMERATION    OF    PRECEPTS  3 

a  statement  for  which  an  individual  preacher  is  responsible 
should  be  quoted  as  a  self-evident  truth  which  requires  no 
support.  Nobody  in  the  Talmud  or  in  the  Midrash 
entertains  any  doubt  as  to  the  accuracy  of  the  number. 
Such  a  fact  would  be  all  the  stranger  if  R.  Simlai  intended 
that  number  to  be  symbolical.  For  it  is  obvious  from  the 
midrashic  and  talmudic  passages  that  this  number  was 
taken  in  its  mathematical  sense. 

Moreover,  there  are  two  passages  in  which  Tannaim  of 
the  second  century  are  credited  with  the  knowledge  of  this 
number.  In  the  Mekilta 5  R.  Simon  b.  Eleazar  is  reported  to 
have  said :  tb  13^3  nivo  y3e(3  ro  '33  noi  noirn  ^P  onsn  N^ni 
nmi  nc3  nnN  by  rnc'y  t?tai  mso  wtn  Dm  IIEJ£  by.  If  the 
children  of  Noah  could  not  fulfil  seven  precepts \  how  much 
less  will  they  be  able  to  fulfil  six  hundred  and  thirteen! 
It  should  be  observed  that  this  passage  offers  no  conclusive 
evidence,  since  at  the  beginning  the  number  is  not  men- 
tioned, and  Bloch  may  be  right  in  considering  it  a  later 
interpolation.  Weiss,6  whom  Bloch  does  not  quote,  arrives 
at  the  same  conclusion,  because  in  Yalkut  Shimoni  the 
number  is  missing.  This  point,  therefore,  need  not  be 
pressed.  The  other  passage,  however,  is  of  greater  weight. 
It  occurs  in  Sifre,7  and  is  as  follows :  wy  J3  py»B>  >3n  "1EN 
1T3  jwn'3  Divert  ^33  pxi  rrnra  ntryn  &6  pern  D'K^I  HIKD  'a  nm 
^3  nscr  vby  3insn  nn»mn  UDD  i>p  nivcn  ^33  px^  on  no  nub 
l^xy  nivion.  R.  Simon  b.  *Azzai  says:  There  are  three 
hundred  and  sixty-five  negative  precepts  in  the  Torah,  and 
no  such  statement  is  made  about  any  of  them  ;  this  indicates 
that,  if  Scripture  warned  thee  against  blood  which  is  the 

6  Yitro,  Bahodesh  5  (ed.  Weiss,  p.  74  a). 

6  In  a  note  to  that  passage. 

7  Deut.,  §  76  (ed.  Friedmann,  p.  90  b). 

B  2 


4  HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

liglitcst  of  all  precepts,  Jicnv  much  more  art  thou  warned  with 
regard  to  other  precepts  !  Here  we  even  have  the  exact 
number  of  the  negative  precepts.  There  is  no  possibility 
of  interpolation,  unless  the  whole  passage  is  corrupt,  or  the 
name  of  the  Tanna  is  to  be  replaced  by  that  of  an  Amora. 
But  as  there  is  no  independent  reason  for  doubting  the 
authenticity  of  this  passage,  it  must  be  allowed  to  stand 
as  it  is. 

A  weighty  objection  to  Bloch's  view  is  also  furnished 
by  the  very  passage  in  which  R.  Simlai's  statement  is 
recorded.  The  explanation  which  that  Amora  offers  is  too 
flimsy  to  have  suggested  the  number.  Had  he  been  at 
liberty  to  choose  any  number  he  pleased,  he  would  have 
adopted  one  which  would  have  made  the  thought  of 
immutability  more  evident.  For  few  people  would  associate 
the  days  of  the  year  (not  the  course  of  the  sun)  and  the 
members  of  the  human  body  with  the  idea  of  immutability. 
Moreover,  he  might  have  at  least  chosen  the  lunar  system 
rather  than  the  solar.  The  impression  one  gains  from  that 
passage,  therefore,  is  that  R.  Simlai  offered  a  homiletic 
explanation  for  a  well-known  tradition.  The  novelty  of  his 
exposition  does  not  lie  in  the  number,  but  in  the  reason 
which  he  assigns  to  it. 

There  is  accordingly  nothing  against  the  view  of  regard- 
ing this  number  as  a  tannaitic  tradition.  The  scribes  who 
counted  every  letter  of  the  law8  could  not  have  neglected 
to  investigate  the  number  of  precepts.  Bloch  objects  to 
this  hypothesis,  because  by  fixing  the  number  of  precepts 
the  scribes  would  have  been  barred  from  finding  a  basis 
in  the  Pentateuch  for  their  innovations ;  and  a  distinction 
would  have  been  drawn  between  Mosaic  and  later  ordinances.9 

8  Kiddushin  30  a.  »  R&J-,  I,  P.  200. 


INTRODUCTION  :    ENUMERATION    OF    PRECEPTS  5 

This  is,  however,  no  weighty  objection,  as  such  a  distinction 
would  be  noticed  even  if  the  precepts  were  not  counted. 
The  Rabbis  in  any  case  differentiated  between  Mosaic  laws 
(min  nan)  and  Rabbinic  institutions  (nv:an  nan).  Nowhere 
is  there  a  tendency  to  consider  the  two  as  one  category. 

But  beyond  a  mere  statement,  no  indication  is  found  in 
talmudic  or  midrashic  literature  as  to  the  actual  enumeration. 
Nor  is  there  any  reference  to  a  method  by  which  the 
number  613  is  to  be  obtained.  The  earliest  attempt  known 
to  us  to  give  the  individual  precepts  is  that  found  at  the 
beginning  of  the  Halakot  Gedolot.  The  authorship  of  this 
halakic  work  is  variously  attributed  to  R.  Jehudai  Gaon 
and  to  R.  Simon  Kayyara.  Hardly  anything  is  known  of 
the  life  of  either  of  these  men,  but  it  is  certain  that  they 
flourished  in  the  eighth  century.  Two  different  recensions 
have  been  transmitted,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the 
text,  which  is  sometimes  inconsistent,  has  been  tampered 
with.10 

A  number  of  Halakists  must  have  followed  the  method 
of  the  author  of  the  Halakot  Gedolot  whom  they  recognized 
as  the  foremost  authority.  For  Maimonides,  who  severely 
criticizes  this  method,  remarks  :  n  yvia  IN  Nrnya  My  JO  ^a  }d> 
vb)  nih-u  rvcbn  anxv  nnb  iyan  np  p£«  sin  p  <t?  »B  nsro 
napi  Spy^N  ?N3  NTD»  Nannn  N^N  srmy  *a  "niK-UK  jy  pann* 
^j-ita  Kin  hp  "uy.  For  all  who  occupied  themselves  with 
enumerating  them  (the  precepts)  or  with  composing  a  bock 
on  this  subject  followed  the  autlior  of  the  Halakot  Gedolot^ 
and  they  only  slightly  deviated  from  his  opinions,  as  if  the 

10  See  L.  Ginzberg's  thorough  and  ingenious  discussion  of  this  subject 
in  his  Geom'ca,  vol.  I,  pp.  99-117. 

11  Sefer  ha-Miswot,  ed.  Bloch,  pp.  4  ff. 

12  \,a\f-\  denotes  here  opinions,  views.     See  Dozy,  5.  v. 


6  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

intellects  stopped  still  at  tJie  decision  of  this  man.  These 
works,  however,  are  not  preserved.  Instead,  we  have 
a  number  of  Azharot  which  enumerate  the  precepts  in 
poetic  form.  The  oldest  extant  is  that  which  begins 
nirun  nr.x.  The  author  of  this  composition  is  unknown, 
but  it  is  surmised  that  he  flourished  in  the  eighth  century, 
and  was  influenced  by  the  Halakot  Gedolot.  Judging  by 
the  number  of  Azharot  that  have  been  transmitted,  it 
seems  that  almost  every  liturgic  poet  took  the  precepts 
as  his  theme.  Sa'adya  Gaon,  with  his  amazing  versatility, 
composed  two  such  poems.  Some  writers  even  tried  their 
skill  in  employing  the  Arabic  language  to  enumerate  the 
precepts  in  metrical  and  rhyming  lines.  Fragments  of  two 
such  attempts,  obviously  by  different  authors,  are  found  at 
the  Dropsie  College.  Although  the  Azharot  seldom  had 
any  halakic  value,  they  exercised  some  influence  as  liturgic 
compositions.  They  reached  their  culminating  point  in 
Ibn  Gabirol  whose  Azharot  are  still  recited  in  some 
congregations. 

While  practically  all  these  writers  followed  the  author 
of  the  Halakot  Gedolot  blindly,  Hefes  b.  Yasliah  seems  to 
have  questioned  the  validity  of  that  method.  Here  again 
we  have  the  testimony  of  Maimonides  who  observes  :  13 
cm  jo  To11  u  ^y  n5:n  nn'Ni  iint^N  JTNI^N  asm 


rtt£r&M  2HNV.  The  aiithor  of  the  famous  Book  of  Precepts 
(or  the  famous  author  of  the  Book  of  Precepts]  took  notice  of 
the  errors  of  the  aiithor  of  the  Halakot  Gedolot,  and  considered 
it  strange  that  visiting  the  sick  and  consoling  the  mourners 
should  be  counted,  as  did  the  author  of  the  Halakot.  It  is 
the  merit  of  Rapoport  to  have  been  the  first  to  suggest  that 
13  op.  at.,  p.  5. 


INTRODUCTION  :     ENUMERATION    OF    PRECEPTS  7 

by  '  the  author  of  the  famous  Book  of  Precepts '  Hefcs 
b.  Yasliah  is  meant.14  This  conjecture  finds  striking 
confirmation  in  Judah  ibn  Bal'am's  commentary  on 
Deuteronomy.  For  in  that  passage  it  is  explicitly  stated 
that  Hefes  had  objected  to  the  method  of  a  writer  who  had 
included  the  visiting  of  sick  and  the  consoling  of  mourners 
among  the  precepts.15  Maimonides,  who  was  in  this  respect 
anticipated  by  Ibn  Bal'am,16  found  the  method  of  Hefes 
inconsistent.17  He  therefore  laid  down  fourteen  principles 
(^1VN),  in  order  to  guard  against  all  possible  fallacies. 
Although  Maimonides  is  not  quite  free  from  inconsisten- 
cies, as  was  shown  by  Nahmanides  in  his  Refutations  or 
Objections  (rmtrn),  it  must  be  granted  that  for  logical 
enumeration  he  deserves  the  palm.  Subsequent  writers, 
like  Moses  of  Coucy  and  Isaac  of  Corbeil,  follow  him  with 
but  few  deviations. 

It  may  thus  be  said  that  there  are  three  main  systems 
in  enumerating  the  precepts :  (i)  that  of  the  Halakot 
Gedolot ;  (2)  that  of  Hefes  b.  Yasliah  ;  and  (3)  that  of 
Maimonides. 

Against  the  literal  interpretation  of  the  idea  that  there 
are  613  precepts  in  the  Pentateuch,  protests  were  now  and 
again  heard.  Judah  ibn  Bal'am  was,  as  far  as  is  known, 
the  first  who  sounded  this  protest.18  He  blames  all  those 
who  enumerated  the  precepts,  and  points  out  that  there  are 
two  kinds  of  precepts :  those  that  were  enjoined  for  ever 

14  See  Kebusat  Hakantim,  p.  58. 

15  T.pa  rtnsj^N  rta  »a  ^ins  JD  by  TMK  [pan  m]  ]yo  ipi 

D v2N  Qlirjl   Dvin  (Commentary  on  Deut.  30.  2,  ed.  Fuchs). 

16  Loc.  cit.  17  Loc.  cit. 

18  Blocb,  who  wrote  before  Ibn  Bal'am's  commentary  on  Deuteronomy 
was  published,  stated  that  Ibn  Ezra  was  the  first  (REJ.,  I,  p.  210). 


8  HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

and  those  that  were  given  only  for  one  occasion.  Now  if 
the  former  alone  are  counted,  they  would  not  amount  to 
the  required  number,  while  if  we  also  include  the  latter, 
they  would  exceed  that  number.19  Ibn  Ezra 20  deals  at 
length  with  this  question,  and  employs  logical  arguments 
against  all  systems.  His  criticism  is  chiefly  levelled  at  the 
liturgic  writers.  He  likens  them  to  a  man  who  counts  the 
number  of  herbs  that  are  mentioned  in  a  book  on  medicine, 
without  knowing  their  use.21 

It  is  noteworthy  that  the  objection  came  from  writers 
who  were  not  specialists  in  Halakah.  For  although 
Ibn  Bal'am  cultivated  the  study  of  Halakah  in  his  old  age, 
he  can  hardly  be  regarded  as  a  specialist  in  that  branch. 
Moses  ibn  Ezra  in  his  Kitdb  al-Muhadarah  wal-Mudakarah^ 
while  speaking  of  the  Jewish  scholars  in  Spain,  says  of 
Ibn  Bal'Sin :  m»y  n5x  '•a  npanE/N,  who  sttidied  Halakah 
during  the  latter  part  of  his  life?*  but  does  not  style  him 
a  Halakist.  The  only  Halakist  who  was  undecided  on  this 
matter  is  Nahmanides — that  complex  soul  combining 
rationalism  and  mysticism — who  expressed  his  doubts 
whether  the  Talmud  meant  this  number  to  be  taken 
seriously.23  But  even  he,  in  spite  of  the  difficulties  he 
points  out,  is  inclined  to  follow  the  majority.  All  other 
authorities  have  allowed  this  number  to  remain  as  a  sort  of 
dogma. 

19  See  passage  in  extenso,  loc.  cit. 

20  Yesod  Mora,  chapter  II. 

21  nutpyn  naoo  noa  -IDID^   mvh  D»cn  nnrnxn  ^ja  mm 
nn»  nnN  S>33  ni>jnn  HE  -vai  t^>  xim  rnxiEn  iDon  omnan  (towards 

the  end  of  chapter  II). 

22  I  take  this  quotation  from  Derenbourg,  Closes  d'Abou  Zakariya  Ya/tia 
ben  Eilam  sur  Isai'e,  p.  7. 

a  See  his  niJUTI  to  Maimonides's  Sefer  ha-Miswot,  at  the  beginning. 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  9 

II 

HEFES  B.  YASLIAH 

It  is  the  fate  of  a  good  many  Jewish  writers  that  little 
or  nothing  of  their  lives  and  activities  is  known.  Jews 
have  always  allowed  books  to  supersede  their  authors. 
Even  in  the  Bible,  where  every  letter  was  scanned,  many  of 
the  writers  are  not  known  by  name,  and  it  is  only  when  an 
author  accidentally  revealed  his  personality  that  we  know 
anything  about  him.  This  is  perhaps  to  be  accounted 
for  by  the  nation's  conception  of  inspiration.  For  only 
canonical  books  were  preserved,  and  in  such  books  the 
author  is  merely  the  vehicle  of  the  word  of  God. 
Wellhausen  somewhere  accuses  the  Jews  of  ingratitude, 
because  they  failed  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  the 
Maccabaean  heroes,  and  excluded  from  the  Canon  the 
books  that  relate  their  triumphs.  But  this  again  is  in 
harmony  with  the  Jewish  conception.  The  Maccabees 
were  the  tools  of  the  Almighty,  and  as  such  they  deserved 
no  credit,  since  God  merely  chose  them  to  carry  out  His 
will,  just  as  in  former  years  He  had  chosen  Assyria  to 
punish  His  people. 

It  is,  therefore,  not  to  be  marvelled  at  that  Hefes 
b.  Yasliah,  whose  books  were  for  centuries  lost  sight  of, 
is  nothing  more  than  a  mere  name.  Early  Jewish  historical 
works,  like  Abraham  ibn  Daud's  Seder  ha-KabbalaJi  and 
Abraham  Zakuta's  Yuhasin,  pass  him  over  in  silence. 
The  honour  of  having  drawn  the  attention  of  scholars  to 
the  existence  of  this  wonderful  personality  is  due  to  Zunz. 
As  early  as  1832  he  mentioned  the  name  of  Hefes  among 
the  rational  interpreters  of  the  Bible  in  his  GottesdienstlicJie 


io          HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

Vortrcige,  p.  397.  Ten  years  later  he  gave  a  brief  sketch  of 
this  scholar  in  a  note  to  Haarbriicker's  Specimen  of  TanJuim 
Yerushalmis  Commentary  on  Judges.  For  in  his  note  on 
Judges  20.  28,  Tanhum  quotes  the  Book  of  Precepts  of 
Hefes.  Haarbrlicker  did  not  know  the  existence  of  such 
a  writer,  and  he  applied  to  Zunz  for  information.24 

When  Rapoport  wrote  the  biography  of  R.  Hanan'el  in 
1 830,  he  discussed  in  note  36  the  authorship  of  the  halakic 
work  Sefer  Hefes,  which  was  up  till  that  time  ascribed 
by  most  writers  to  that  famous  scholar  of  Kairuwan. 
Rapoport,  however,  found  a  number  of  difficulties,  for  some 
decisions  quoted  from  the  Sefer  Hefes  are  opposed  to  those 
that  occur  in  the  authenticated  works  of  R.  Hanan'el. 
Furthermore,  in  some  passages  both  R.  Hanan'el  and  the 
Sefer  Hefes  are  quoted,  which  makes  it  improbable  to 
consider  that  scholar  as  its  author.  To  overcome  these 
difficulties,  Rapoport  made  a  sort  of  compromise :  R.  Hanan'el 
was  the  author  of  that  book,  but  his  disciples  added  some 
decibions  and  altered  others. 

In  consequence  of  the  suggestions  thrown  out  by  Zunz, 
scholars  occasionally  wrote  about  Hefes.  Furst  was, 
I  believe,  the  first  to  connect  Hefes  b.  Yasliah  with  the 
Sefer  Hefes.  In  his  Literatnrblatt  des  Orients  he  gave 
two  brief  notices  of  Hefes.25  Using  the  sources  indicated 
by  Zunz,  he  added  two  important  observations,  and  one  of 
them  is  the  identification  of  the  Sefer  Hefes  with  the  Book 
of  Precepts.  The  other  observation  related  to  the  place  of 
residence  of  that  author.  For  Zunz  assumed  that  Hefes 
had  lived  in  Kairuwan,  whereas  Furst  suggested  Babylon 
as  Hefes's  place  of  residence.  Neither  Zunz  nor  Flirst  had 
any  valid  reasons  for  their  assumptions  which  they  expressed 

24  See  pp.  x,  xi  afid  53,  54.  25  Vol.  X,  pp.  no  and  247. 


INTRODUCTION:    HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  II 

with  hesitation ;  but,  as  we  shall  see  later  on,  a  recent 
discovery  proved  the  latter  to  be  right.  Two  years  later 
Reifmann  published  a  short  note  in  the  same  periodical, 
and  without  referring  to  any  writer,  identified  the  Sefer 
Hefes  with  the  Book  of  Precepts.26 

About  1860  Rapoport  wrote  three  articles  on  Hefes 
b.  Yasliah  which  he  sent  to  Stern.  One  of  these  articles, 
evidently  the  most  complete,  was  published  in  Kebusat 
Hakamim?1  There  the  view  is  expressed  that  Hefes  lived 
in  Palestine,  or  rather  in  J  erusalem.  No  reference  whatsoever 
is  made  to  Zunz.  The  Sefer  Hefes  is  with  great  ingenuity 
and  thoroughness  ascribed  to  Hefes.  One  of  the  other 
articles  subsequently  came  into  the  hands  of  Halberstam 
who  published  it  in  Kobak's  Yeshurun?*  In  that  article 
Rapoport  refutes  the  view  of  Zunz  about  Hefes's  place  of 
residence,  and  adduces  proofs  that  Palestine  was  the  home 
of  that  Halakist.  Other  scholars  who  wrote  a  more  or 
less  complete  biography  of  Hefes  are  Steinschneider,29 
Ginzberg,30  and  Poznanski.31 

All  that  could  be  gathered  with  certainty  at  that  time 
was  that  Hefes  was  blind,32  and  was  styled  by  various 
writers  Gaon,33  Resh  Kalla,34  Alluf,35  and  Rosh  Yeshibah.36 

26  Vol.  XII  (1851),    p.  617.      Steinschneider,  in  a  note  in   Benjacob's 
D^DDH  "UfiN,  p.  197,  seems  to  doubt  Furst's  priority.     See  Furst's  remark 
on  Reifmann's  note. 

27  pp.  52-60.  28  Vol.  VIII,  pp.  57-65  (Hebrew  part). 
29  Arabische  Literatur  der  Jucten,  §  62.     See  bibliography  cited  there. 
50  Jewish  Encyclopedia,  s.  v. 

81  }80Tp  HWK,  pp.  24-8;    hwW  TON,  s.v.;  D'J'.B>  DTjy,  p.  55- 

82  Solomon  Parhon.  in  his  Mahberet  he-'Amk,  s.  v.  "lEtf  and  yxp,  refers 
to  Hefes  as  m^K*  K>N"I  Tin:  VD. 

33  R.  Moses  of  Coucy,  Sefer  Miswot  Gadol,  positive  precept  48,  p.  127  b  ; 
R.  Abraham  ha-Yarhi  in  Ha-Manhig,  p.  673. 

84  R.  Jonah  ibn  Janah,  Luma',  p.  15.  M  Alfasi,  Respotisa,  109. 

38  Solomon  Parhon,  loc.  cit. 


12  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

A  great  deal  of  ingenuity  was  spent  in  attempting  to 
determine  the  country  in  which  he  resided.  In  the  absence 
of  positive  facts,  imagination  was  allowed  to  roam  unbridled. 
To  the  various  opinions  mentioned  above  should  be  added 
that  of  Poznariski  who  suggested  that  Hefes  might  have 
been  a  native  of  Spain,  since  the  earliest  writers  who  quote 
him  belong  to  that  country.37  Fortunately,  however,  among 
the  Genizah  fragments  at  the  Jewish  Theological  Seminary 
of  America  there  is  a  letter  which  settles  this  question. 
The  writer  of  that  letter  remarks :  VTOpP  D^mnr  Dniryn  fniN  "3 
D<nnpi>  uco  nitron  n^v  p  «I^K  pan  m»i>  mvcn  ana  Dm.38 
We  thus  know  that  Hefes  lived  in  Mosul,  which  Jewish 
writers  called  Titt>K.  There  certainly  can  be  no  reason  for 
doubting  the  accuracy  of  this  remark,  as  the  writer  of  this 
letter  seems  to  be  well  informed,  and  is  very  careful  in 
placing  the  title  Alluf  immediately  after  pan  in  order  to 
avoid  the  possibility  of  taking  Yasliah  to  be  the  bearer  of 
that  title. 

As  to  the  time  when  Hefes  flourished,  we  are  less 
fortunately  situated,  and  some  uncertainty  still  exists. 
It  is  usually  assumed  that  he  lived  towards  the  end  of  the 
tenth  century.  But  despite  the  consensus  of  opinion  on  this 
point,  there  is  no  basis  for  this  conjecture,  for  it  rests  on 
assumptions  which  proved  to  be  incorrect.  No  positive 
evidence  was  adduced  for  this  view.  Zunz  hesitatingly 
suggests  that  Hefes  is  identical  with  the  Alluf  to  whom 
reference  is  made  by  R.  Hai  Gaon  in  a  Responsum.39 
In  that  Responsum  it  is  stated  that  R.  Hai  had  some 

37  fNITp  HMK,  p.  25. 

38  See  JQR.,  New  Series,  I,  p  439.     Professor  A.  Marx,  to  whom  I  am 
indebted  for  this  sentence,  assures  me  that  nothing  more  can  be  gathered 
from  that  letter  in  connexion  with  Hefes. 

39  Haarbruckcr's  Specimen  of  Tanhum  Ytnuahalmi.  p.  54. 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  jo 

•  •  •  •  *-* 

correspondence  with  an  Alluf  in  the  year  997  or  998.40 
Relying  on  this  identification  Steinschneider  states  that 
Hefes  corresponded  with  R.  Hai.41  But  there  was  not  the 
slightest  justification  for  that  identification,  and  it  is  more 
likely  that  the  Alluf  referred  to  is  Jacob  b.  Nissim.42 

Scholars  also  attempted  to  fix  the  terminus  a  quo  by 
the  circumstance  that  Ibn  Janah  is  the  earliest  writer  who 
quotes  Hefes.43  This  is  indeed  a  '  broken  reed ',  for  there 
probably  was  no  occasion  to  quote  him.  If  such  an 
argument  should  be  regarded  as  valid,  we  could  place 
many  an  early  writer  at  a  late  period.  To  mention  only 
one  glaring  example.  Nisi  al-Nahrwanl — an  older  con- 
temporary of  Sa'adya — who  must  have  been  a  prolific 
hymn-writer44  and  scholar  of  high  attainments,  is  only 
known  from  Nathan  ha-Babli's  report.  When  we  consider 
the  fact  that  many  a  scholar  of  past  generations  would 
have  been  doomed  to  oblivion,  had  it  not  been  for  some 
casual  mention,  it  is  impossible  to  lay  stress  on  such  an 
argument.  Moreover,  few  books  dating  from  the  ninth  and 
tenth  centuries  have  been  preserved,  and,  on  the  whole, 
writers  of  that  period  were  not  accustomed  to  quote  their 
predecessors  to  a  great  extent.  The  talmudic  and  midrashic 
literatures  alone  were  binding  to  them,  whereas  post- 
talmudic  scholars  had  not  yet  acquired  indisputable 
authority. 

From  the  references  to  Hefes  nothing  positive  can  be 
gleaned.     He  is  grouped  together  with  other  writers  in 

40  DTI  D^on,  119. 

41  Arabische  Literatur  der  Juden,  §  62.  See  also  Ginzberg,  Geonica,  I,  p.  178. 

42  Comp.  Poznanski,  JNTVp  ^2'JN,  pp.  15,  25,  32. 
«  Op.  eft.,  p.  25. 

44  There  are  a  number  of  hymns  by  Nisi  in  the  Genizah  fragments  at  the 
Dropsie  College.     Some  of  the  acrostics  spell  out  rV2"D   p  ^D^. 


14  HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

various  ways.  Thus  Ibn  Janah  mentions  some  of  the 
reliable  interpreters  of  the  Bible  in  the  following  order: 
Sa'adya,  Sherira,  Hai,  Samuel  b.  Hofni,  Hefes.4'  That  no 
stress  can  be  laid  on  this  order  as  regards  chronology  is 
evident  from  the  fact  that  Hai  is  mentioned  before  Samuel 
b.  Hofni.  Then  on  the  other  hand  Isaac  ibn  Gayyat 
places  Hefes  before  Sa'adya.46  Also  in  a  Genizah  fragment, 
which  is  now  at  the  Jewish  Theological  Seminary  of 
America,  Hefes  is  casually  mentioned  before  Sa'adya  and 
Samuel  b.  Hofni.  It  is  a  remarkable  fragment,  written  in 
fluent  rhymed  prose,  and  seems  to  be  a  description  of 
a  trial  before  a  judge.  The  writer  was  probably  a  copyist 
or  bookseller  by  profession.  The  passage  referring  to  the 
Geonim  runs  as  follows : 47  [p]an  '"^na  pan  ^  [p]«  »a  rwito 
pxi  ,i>WBB>  psji  naD3  tab  n»  pro  nnyo  irm  nma  rr[n]»  N^I 
y  nwo  »nt«o  N^I  D?]Dinn  rvvaM  DK  ^  two  ^ 
That  Hefes  b.  Yasliah  is  here  meant 
cannot  be  reasonably  doubted.  For  there  is  only  one  other 
writer  bearing  that  name  whose  identity  has  not  yet  been 
established.  He  was  a  philosopher  and  is  quoted  by 
Ibn  Gabirol.48  His  full  name  was  Hefes  b.  al-Birr  al-Futi 
or  al-Kuti,  and  it  was  suggested  that  al-Birr  is  an  Arabic 
translation  of  the  Hebrew  llvJP  or  vice  versa.™  However 
this  may  be,  the  writer  of  the  fragment  obviously  speaks  of 
Halakists,  and  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  Hefes  is  classed 
among  the  most  prolific  writers  of  that  period.  At  all 
events,  owing  to  the  conflicting  arrangements,  this  point 

45  Litma',  p.  15.  46  Sa'are  Sitnhah,  ed.  Furth,  p.  63. 

47  1  am  under  obligation  to  Professor  Israel  Davidson,  who  intends  to 
publish  the  entire  fragment,  for  drawing  my  attention  to  this  passage,  and 
for  copying  it  for  me. 

48  See  Steinschneider,  Hebraische  Uberseizungen,  p.  382. 

49  See  Po^nanski,  fNlTp  HWK,  p.  25. 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    B.    YASLIAH 


must  be  abandoned  as  a  basis  for  determining  the  time 
when  Hefes  flourished. 

Hitherto  we  have  only  examined  the  external  evidence. 
Unfortunately  there  hardly  exists  any  internal  evidence,  as 
no  post-talmudic  writers  are  cited  in  the  Book  of  Precepts. 
Discussions  of  a  polemical  nature,  with  the  exception  of 
one  passage  which  will  be  explained  later  on,50  are  entirely 
absent.  Yet  there  is  one  point  which  deserves  a  full 
discussion.  Hefes  gives  in  every  precept  a  rdsumd  in 
Arabic  of  the  pentateuchal  law,  and  then  quotes  the  verses 
in  Hebrew.  The  Arabic  words  he  employs  are,  with  rare 
exceptions,  identical  with  those  of  Sa'adya's  translation. 
Even  the  constructions  resemble  those  of  Sa'adya,  and  the 
deviations  are  such  as  one  may  expect  to  occur  in  a 
rtsumd  as  distinct  from  a  literal  translation.  In  order  to 
illustrate  this  point  I  shall  place  in  parallel  columns 
Sa'adya's  translation  and  the  rhumd  given  by  Hefes  of  the 
first  four  precepts  that  are  preserved. 


INI 


SA'ADYA 
maia    1N3    nra 
N^oao  IN  Nona 

N    '•a    NO    "VND    IN 

..fa  aa*  NO 
(Exod.  2,2.  5.) 


IN 


JD  bar 


I  mn   naa  JNI 
n^K  oii^a 
n  mhi'N  311 

(z'^W.,  21.  28.) 


HEFES 

nanai  IN:  DIXN  p 


<7niD  IN  NDia  npin 
••a  NOO  n^a  IN  nnajo 

(Text,  fol.  i  a.) 
va  iin  jN3  xnN  njin 


N 


JN 


,n3D 

50  Chapter  III.     See  note  157. 


(fol.  3  a.) 


16 


HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


fo  xnNOJ  NTin  JSD  jxi 
ntbarr1  D^I  narm*  ipua  r6ap  NCI 
-nn^>N  Dih^B  rix-io  ix  N^h  ^npi 
nn  DT^N*  INI  ^np'  nar-NV  NSW 

.nor!"  NO  ynrj  nosa  Nna  oy^a 
(*&#.,  21.  29.  30.) 


5>'N-iDN  y'oa  ID  y^a  NDix  ;ND 

boy»a  PIJ^N  jvy   jo 
^K  f  NIB 
nany  nh  :ionxa 
^N  anp^s  NHINDDN 


non  jo 


pa  nxio  yao  TOD  nvri 
ar  n:oi  :  spo^K  fi^Nap 
^N  H»   a  nartdht 


as%a  •'a  nN  frrwM  nano  DKDN 
cn^  yoai  tns 


N  riiai  nina    oy  xoa  na 
DTOV  naanD'i  na 


K  pins*  Noa 

:pij^K  riian  in 
(Lev.  4.  13-21.) 


jo  HNOJ  N-\in  ni?  o  'b  aain 


noan*^  1^1:1  ^>ap 


p  NOT 


;NB  N'DNnnaN  NDIO  in  pnno'-i 
nn  DT^N 

n^y  nan 
(fol.3b.) 

"i^  nyxoj  noax  'no  a:m 
boya  pia^N  jvy  fy  ION  »a 
lonsa  »nm^N   p 


on   noNn     y  on*n»N 

p  niDoo^s  DNON^N 

y:n  nxno  f  eiao^N  n^Nap  HOT 

a:n  maa^N  nano  jxaix  ^y  TOO 

mvb*  nano  DSDN  n 


nano^N    "^y    inp11    j 


maa  ;rwn 

nxa  nin^N  jroa  aia^i  on 
moo  ^N  -inso  yifio  ^ 


(fol.  5  b.) 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  17 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  differences  in  the  passages 
from  Exodus  are  more  numerous  than  in  the  one  from 
Leviticus.  This  is  to  be  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  the 
former  are  less  technical.  Moreover,  some  differences  are 
only  apparent.  Thus  Sa'adya  renders  bjn  indifferently  by 
m  and  3nxv.  In  the  passage  quoted  above  Hefes  has  only 
the  latter ;  but  on  the  same  page  he  also  employs  the 
former.  There  is  no  need  to  quote  any  further  passages, 
but  it  may  be  stated  that  the  Leviticus  passage  represents 
the  relation  between  the  two  renderings  more  correctly. 
Now  the  differences  in  the  Leviticus  passage  are  so 
insignificant  that  they  may  be  expected  to  occur  almost  in 
two  different  manuscripts  of  one  and  the  same  book.  The 
two  manuscripts  of  Sa'adya's  translation  of  and  commentary 
on  Job,  for  instance,  differ  from  each  other  to  a  very  great 
extent.51  The  same  is  the  case  with  Bahya  b.  Pakuda's 
al-Hiddya  ild  Faraid  al-Kulub?*  In  some  places  the  Book 
of  Precepts  may  help  us  to  correct  Sa'adya's  text.  Thus 
3X3  (Lev.  4.  13)  is  hardly  an  accurate  rendering  of  D7JJJ,  and 
it  seems  quite  probable  that  it  is  a  scribal  error  for  ^i,  as 
Hefes  has  it.  The  rendering  of  ns  by  m  is  very  interesting. 
Although  Hefes  in  the  above  passage  has  Tin,  in  other 
places  he  agrees  with  Sa'adya  in  using  n~i.53  Now  the 
ordinary  word  in  Arabic  for  steer  is^*,  or^*^>  ^*,  whereas 
£>j  is  an  extremely  rare  word,  and  in  Mohammedan  works 
its  usual  signification  is  hog.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that 
in  the  dialect  spoken  by  Sa'adya  and  Hefes  >I>J  meant 
nothing  more  than  bullock  or  steer.  For  it  is  inconceivable 


61  See  Bacher's  introduction  to  his  edition,  p.  ix. 

62  See  Yahuda's  edition,  Introduction,  pp.  7  ff. 
68  See  text,  fol.  lob,  1.  12. 


i8  HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

that  they  employed  such  an  ambiguous  word  which  denotes 
hog  in  a  passage  dealing  with  sacrifices. 

The  resemblance  of  these  two  versions  will  appear  still 
more  striking  when  we  compare  them  with  the  independent 
translation  of  the  Bible  printed  in  Beyrout.  The  Leviticus 
passage  alone  will  suffice  for  our  purpose.  It  is  as  follows: 

sM  (J^\  ^^  (ji-U  Jol^J  icU». 

^C    J 


y    (**r 


yy«    *»-• 

JJJI  ^JJil 

^s?1'    _  ju>      i-    ^       &*-ai   .. 


Jc 


In  this  version  almost  every  technical  expression  is  ren- 
dered differently  from  the  other  two,  and  this  would  lead 
one  to  assume  an  interdependence  of  the  latter  As  Sa'adya 
is  by  far  the  better  known  of  the  two  as  a  translator  and 
commentator  of  the  Bible,  it  seems  at  first  sight  reasonable 
to  conclude  that  Hefes  borrowed  from  him.  This,  accord- 
ingly, would  fix  the  terminus  a  quo,  and  would  indeed  place 
Hefes  in  the  second  half  of  the  tenth  century,  for  we  must 
allow  some  time  for  Sa'adya's  translation  to  become 
universally  spread. 

On  reflection,  however,  this  can  hardly  be  considered 
conclusive  evidence.  To  begin  with,  the  fact  that  Sa'adya 
is  the  most  renowned  and  admired  Jewish  writer  of  the 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  19 

tenth  century  does  not  preclude  the  possibility  of  an  earlier, 
though  less  satisfactory,  attempt  at  translating  the  Bible, 
at  least  the  Pentateuch,  into  Arabic.  Hefes  displays 
a  thorough  mastery  of  Hebrew,  Arabic,  and  Aramaic. 
He  shows  great  skill  and  a  sense  of  appropriateness  in 
choosing  Arabic  equivalents  for  the  most  obscure  talmudic 
terms.  Even  in  cases  where  his  explanations  lack  philo- 
logical soundness,  the  Arabic  words  he  uses  admirably 
convey  the  meaning  he  intended.  And  in  this  branch  he 
has  no  predecessors  known  to  us.  Is  it  at  all  likely  that 
a  man  of  the  calibre  of  Hefes  would  need  to  borrow  from 
the  translation  of  another  writer  without  due  acknowledge- 
ment? It,  therefore,  seems  natural  to  reject  the  theory 
that  the  translation  of  Hefes  is  influenced  by  that  of 
Sa'adya.  The  striking  resemblance  of  the  two  translations 
may  be  accounted  for  in  a  simpler  manner.  Although  we 
have  no  data  for  determining  exactly  the  time  when  Jews 
in  Babylon  adopted  Arabic  as  their  vernacular,54  there  can 
be  no  doubt  that  this  event  took  place  centuries  before 
Sa'adya.  The  Jews,  accordingly,  while  studying  the  Bible, 
especially  the  Pentateuch,  must  have  translated  it  into  that 
language.  Some  sort  of  terminology  must  have  gradually 
developed,  and  remained  fixed  to  a  considerable  extent, 
especially  in  the  case  of  technical  terms.  This  terminology 
inevitably  had  some  Hebrew  colouring,  otherwise  such 
words  as  5J~*«»  for  burnt-offering,  which  is  a  literal  translation 
of  nhy,56  and  i*^L,  for  peace-offer  ing t  Hebrew  tFDxP,  could 
not  have  arisen.  Accordingly,  if  Sa'adya  really  was  the 
first  translator  of  the  Pentateuch,  he  merely  committed  to 
writing  that  which  had  been  known  orally,  and  it  is  only 

84  Comp.  Steinschneider,  Arabische  Literatur  der  Juden,  p.  xvii. 
65  See  Frey tag's  Lexicon,  s.  v.  Ax«<». 

C  2 


20  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

for  the  literary  touches  that  he  deserves  credit,  not  for  the 
actual  translation.  Subsequent  writers,  who  had  Sa'adya's 
translation  before  them,  were  no  longer  aware  of  the  oral 
terminology  that  had  previously  existed,  and  unduly  praised 
him  for  his  work.  For  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that 
a  translation  of  the  Bible  made  by  Jews  in  their  vernagular 
differs  radically  from  that  made  by  non-Jews.  The  former 
are  enjoined  to  'meditate  therein  day  and  night',  and  as 
soon  as  they  adopt  a  new  mother-tongue,  are  bound  to  find 
equivalents  for  Hebrew  words.  Thus  the  adoption  of  the 
new  mother-tongue  practically  coincides  with  the  translation 
which  may  be  regarded  as  raw  material  for  subsequent 
literary  attempts.  The  first  non-Jew,  however,  who  wished 
to  translate  the  Bible,  had  to  begin  with  a  clean  slate,  and 
was  obliged  to  coin  new  terms. 

These  considerations,  to  my  mind,  completely  destroy 
the  evidence  to  be  adduced  from  the  expressions  Hefes 
employs  in  translating  pentateuchal  verses. 

In  this  connexion  it  is  convenient  to  discuss  two 
passages  in  which  Hefes  is  supposed  to  quote  Sa'adya 
explicitly,  and  which  would  thus  conclusively  prove  that 
Hefes  flourished  after  that  famous  Gaon.  In  JQR.,  VI, 
p.  705,  Neubauer  published  an  Arabic  fragment  which  he 
hesitatingly  suggested  to  be  part  of  the  Book  of  Precepts 
by  Hefes  b.  Yasliah.  That  fragment  begins  with  a  slightly 
abridged  quotation  from  Menahot,  Mishnah,  3,  6.  y.56 
Then  comes  the  following  passage:  naTiD^N  DNT  N.IODp  npl 
NiTonj  fra  DDP  ro  Trrvwb  rb  rr\un  >a  nrm  n^s  nij  'BI^K 
ob  rpra  tnpn  pp^a  NHIDT  NDJN  in  IKS  jxi  mj£x  rub  iNvmNi 
NH3Q  "vro  N:^  vino  npi  Kniya  -en  NB:XI  nw»fo  jroa  piv.  This 
is  followed  by  an  enumeration  of  twenty  sections.  After 

66  This  was  not  noticed  by  Neubauer. 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  21 

the  mention  of  the  twenty-first  section  there  is  a  gap,  and 
the  subject  is  interrupted.  The  passage  that  follows  deals 
with  an  important  principle  for  enumerating  precepts. 
The  gap  must  have  been  considerable,  for  we  have  to  allow 
room  for  at  least  four  or  five  sections.57 

Another  fragment  which  enumerated  the  first  eight 
sections  of  Sa'adya's  Reslmt  was  published  by  Prof. 
Schechter.58  That  fragment  is  headed  H^N  DIBnta  "roan  Nin 
69  ib  rm*»i>N  JVD  oop  i>i  WB!>K  nnyo  mo  ra»noi>K  DNI  nboy 
&f  ':an  p  pw  i>NiBE>  mo  rrvoana  yy  DOp.  The  remaining 
lines  are,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  insignificant  variants, 
identical  with  those  of  Neubauer's  fragment,  and  hence 
Prof.  Alexander  Marx  was  led  to  consider  Samuel  b.  Hofni 
the  author  of  the  latter.60  There  is,  however,  no  ground 
for  this  identification.  That  the  two  fragments  do  not 
belong  to  one  and  the  same  book  is  self-evident.  In 
Saadyana  we  have  the  beginning  of  Samuel  b.  Hofni's 
commentary,  whereas  in  Neubauer's  fragment  we  have 
a  direct  quotation  from  Sa'adya's  Re  shut  before  it  was 
translated  into  Arabic.  Since  the  headings  alone  are 
quoted,  there  is  no  room  for  divergency  in  style,  and  there 
is  nothing  to  connect  the  two  writers.  One  feels  inclined 
to  agree  with  Neubauer  that  'it  is  certainly  not  by  Samuel 
ben  Hofni  '.61 

On  the  other  hand,  I  am  now  in  a  position  to  demonstrate 

67  There  are  a  few  misprints  in  that  passage,  and  Neubauer,  JQK.,  VII, 
p.  172,  corrected  them  in  the  name  of  Bacher,  who  had  seen  the  manuscript. 
One  important  word,  however,  was  left  uncorrected.     ?DN,  p.  707,  1.  14, 
ought  obviously  to  be  p?DK  or  PCIX. 

68  JQR.-,  XIV,  p.  211  ;  Saadyana,  p.  53. 

69  It  seems  to  me  that  HD    is  the  more  correct  reading,  as  a  slightly 
obliterated  H  might  easily  be  mistaken  for  *1. 

6J  Ginzberg's  Geonica,  I,  p.  179,  note.  61  JQR-,  VII,  p.  172. 


22  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH'S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

with  certainty  that  Hcfes  was  not  the  author  of  that 
fragment,  and  the  evidence  is  furnished  by  the  preserved 
portion  of  his  Book  of  Precepts.  There  is,  to  begin  with, 
a  difference  in  style.  Hefes  consistently  uses  Arabic 
equivalents  for  Hebrew  technical  terms.  Thus,  he  always 
says  nynp,  yiOB>,  "U3N1N,  nxu,  while  Neubauer's  fragment 
has  rrso,  nivo,  ntj>y,  ntpyn  sb.  Matters  of  style  are  always 
subject  to  doubt,  and  those  who  are  loath  to  rely  on  them 
will  find  convincing  proof  for  my  contention  in  the  following 
consideration.  The  author  of  Neubauer's  fragment  refutes 
the  system  of  a  certain  .  .  .  Bar  Furkan.62  In  order  to 
make  this  point  clear  I  shall  quote  and  explain  the  words 
attributed  to  that  Bar  Furkan,  especially  as  they  are  of 
importance  for  the  various  systems  of  enumerating  precepts. 
a  D"unnra  nt^yn  «h  nts>y  sitrn  rtap  yj 


in  mm  tn  niosm  me  nnnn  Ditrpnna  nrnc3  DPDJ  oil1 


IN3    1/1    ^P    IWOBM    ^    naxna    »s    n:y 


pnscn   D^I   inr  N^  N»y  NI^N  in  -inaci?N  \wrbt*  bm 
NyiK'  64  .  .  .    Bar  Furkan  —  may  his  soul  be  in  paradise 

—  says  :  Count  positive  and  negative  precepts  when  they  are 
combined  (as  in  the  case  of  the  hoofs  of  animals)  as  one  ;  one 
of  them  is  sufficient  to  indicate  them  both  ;  the  opposite  is 
superfluous,  since  they  are  joined.     Tiirn  to  the  permitted 
thing  ,   and  cast  away   the  forbidden.      And  this   is   \the 
principle^  concerning  which  he  said  in  his  book  of  precepts. 
He  said  :  If  it  is  permitted  to  eat  an  animal  zvhich  chews 
its  cud,  this  in  itself  is  a  prohibition  against  the  eating  of  an 
animal  which  does  not  chew  its  cud  and  is  not  cloven-footed  ; 

—  it  is  to  be  counted  as  one  precept. 


62  The  name  is  obliterated,  and  Neubauer  supplied  I't^liT,  while  Bacher 
read  it  as  JTplX. 

63  Read  pi?BK  or  i?flN  ;  see  above,  note  57.  ««  JQR.,  VI,  p.  707. 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  23 

•  •  •  .        •  *J 

The  Hebrew  quotation  is  no  doubt  part  of  Azharot  or 
Rcshnt.  We  have  four  lines  rhyming  with  D1.  The  style 
is  paitanic,  and  I  think  that  the  last  word  01  stands  for  n£~>, 
just  as  ?3  is  the  apocopated  form  of  n?3.  The  Arabic  is 
slightly  clumsy,  but  my  interpretation  is  the  only  one 
possible,  for  it  would  not  do  to  take  NTHN1  Njnti>  as  the 
complement  of  JN3,  since  there  would  then  be  no  apodosis. 
Moreover,  the  finite  verb  after  |N3  (for  there  is  no  ground  to 
read  PN^DX)  precludes  such  an  alternative.  Accordingly 
Bar  Furkan  lays  it  down  as  a  principle  that  opposites  are 
only  to  be  counted  as  one  precept.  The  writer  of  that 
fragment  refutes  this  principle  from  a  logical  standpoint. 
Maimonides,  too,  agrees  with  the  latter,  for  he  consistently 
counts  such  cases  as  two  precepts.65  The  permission  to  eat 
clean  animals  is  positive  precept  I49,06  and  the  prohibition 
against  unclean  animals  is  negative  precept  I72.67  Now 
Hefes  b.  Yasliah,  as  will  be  explained  later  on  at  the  end  of 
Chapter  IV,  is  not  at  all  aware  of  this  subtle  distinction. 
He  usually  reckons  such  cases  as  one  precept,  but  sometimes 
as  two.  Thus,  that  a  Nazarite  must  grow  his  hair  is  given 
as  a  positive  precept,  but  the  fact  that  he  must  not  cut  his 
hair  is  not  given  separately.  On  the  other  hand,  he  counts 
separately  the  commandment  to  bring  all  sacrifices  to  the 
special  place  (Deut.  ia.  6)  and  the  prohibition  against  eating 
any  sacrifice  outside  that  place  (ibid.,  12.  17).  The  reason 
why  he  counts  them  separately  is  because  they  occur  in 
different  passages  of  the  Pentateuch. 

The  other  passage  in  which  Hefes  apparently  quotes 
Sa'adya  is  the  glossary  to  JWiupn  DlD'O  published  by 
Horowitz.68  The  passage  is  headed  DlB'SD  DKE&t&K 


65  Scfcr  ha-Miswot,  principle  6,  ed.  Bloch,  p.  ao.  66  Op.  cit.,  p.  127. 

67  op.  at.,  p.  250.  68  niabnn  rvu3  rva,  n,  PP.  63  ff. 


24  HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

Pi  J'sn  3rb  miupn,  and  is  without  any  doubt  excerpted  from 
the  Book  of  Precepts,  as  will  be  pointed  out  at  the  end  of 
this  chapter.  The  note  on  RE&fl  runs  as  follows :  rm^n 
npno  rpfi  hp11  HHJJD  :ni  nycfcx.  It  is,  however,  easy  to  prove 
that  the  explanation  attributed  to  Sa'adya  does  not  form 
part  of  Hefes's  glossary.  For  it  is  impossible  that  Hefes 
should  quote  an  opinion  different  from  his  own  without 
refuting  or  accepting  it.  Moreover,  if  he  wanted  to  give  ex- 
planations by  Sa'adya  differing  from  his  own,  he  had  occasion 
to  do  so  in  the  next  word.  Hefes  translates  njnfp  by  "Djy, 
while  Sa'adya,  according  to  Solomon  Parhon,69  renders  it 
by  UDp.  Then  in  this  very  passage  Hefes  quotes  a  talmudic 
statement  on  nx  which  is  against  his  own  explanation. 
This  statement  is  placed  at  the  end  of  the  passage,  after  all 
the  difficult  words  have  been  explained.  It  is  thus  evident 
that  Hefes  did  not  interrupt  himself  in  the  middle, 
otherwise  he  would  have  placed  the  talmudic  statement 
immediately  after  his  translation  of  >-iV,  especially  as  this 
word  occurs  before  n33^n.  It  is  also  to  be  observed  that 
Sa'adya  does  not  translate  fU3/n  by  3^  TO.  The  text  of  his 
translation  of  Exod.  30.  34  has  KXP,  while  Derenbourg 
gives  a  variant  fiyo.  We  thus  see  that  this  note  in  the 
glossary  to  miupn  DIO'S  is  spurious.  The  copyist  did  not 
have  the  Book  of  Precepts  before  him,  but  excerpted  the 
passage  from  Ibn  Bal'am's  Kitdb  at-Tarjt/i.10  To  any  one 
who  studies  Ibn  Bal'am's  works  it  is  inconceivable  that  he 
should  have  incorporated  the  entire  passage  from  Hefes 

69  Ma/jberethe-Aruk,  s.  v.  S?i*p. 

70  At  the  end  of  the  passage  it  is  said  :    }O  "lliNO  DS*3S7N   ""in   miTI 

n;y  n&K  »sn  Dyb  p  mirv  ^6  SI^KH  rv;hni>N  2NH3.    The  editor 

misread  the  text.  These  corrections  are  by  Steinschneider,  Monatschrift, 
1885,  p.  288. 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  25 

verbatim  without  commenting  on  it.  He  usually  quotes 
various  opinions  side  by  side.  What  really  happened  was 
this :  Ibn  Balaam  gave  various  opinions  among  which  those 
of  Hefes  were  prominent,  and  the  copyist  subsequently 
collected  all  of  Hefes's  explanations  under  the  heading 
yzn  317  , . .  Tcan.  He  was,  however,  unable,  in  some  cases,  to 
differentiate  between  the  words  of  Hefes  and  the  comments 
of  Ibn  Bal'am.  It  is  also  possible  that  that  spurious 
explanation  of  Sa'adya  was  added  by  the  '  redactor '  himself, 
who  obviously  was  not  well  informed. 

The  result  of  all  these  discussions  appears  convincing 
enough  to  enable  us  to  state  that  for  determining  the  time 
when  Hefes  flourished  we  only  have  a  terminus  ad  quem — 
he  was  dead  in  the  first  half  of  the  eleventh  century,  since 
Ibn  Janah,  when  quoting  him,  adds  the  formula  n^N  nom 
— but  the  terminus  a  quo  must  be  left  open,  until  further 
evidence  is  brought  to  light.  Vague  and  unfounded 
assumptions  are  of  no  avail. 

Out  of  the  four  titles,  Resh  Kalla,  Alluf,  Rosh  Yeshibah, 
and  Gaon,  that  are  bestowed  upon  Hefes  by  writers  who  refer 
to  him,  the  first  is  the  one  that  was  actually  borne  by  him. 
This  conjecture  of  Rapoport's 71  is  strikingly  confirmed  by 
our  fragment  in  which  he  styles  himself  twice  as  W?N  OKI.72 
That  Hefes  was  no  Gaon  in  the  technical  sense  needs  no 
demonstration.  In  Sherira's  Epistle,  where  a  practically 
complete  list  of  the  Geonim  of  Pumbedita  and  Sura  is 
given,  no  mention  of  this  scholar  is  made.  Writers 
subsequent  to  the  gaonic  period  gave  this  term  a  wider 
denotation,  and  applied  it  almost  to  any  great  Talmudist. 
Thus  Nissim  b.  Jacob  of  Kairuwan  is  also  dignified  with 

71  Kobak's  Yeshurun,  VIII,  p.  58.  «  See  text,  fols.  8b,  253. 


26  HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

that  title.  Indeed  Sherira  himself  does  not  always  keep  to 
the  technical  sense,  and  some  of  the  Amoraim  are  styled 
by  him  as  Geonim.73 

Nothing  definite,  however,  is  known  of  the  functions  of 
the  Resh  Kalla.  It.  is  usually  considered  synonymous  with 
the  title  Alluf,74  which  is  also  obscure.  The  prevalent 
view  among  Jewish  scholars  is  that  he  was  third  in  rank 
to  the  Gaon.  This  is  based  upon  the  report  of  Nathan 
ha-Babli,75  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  within  the 
constitution  of  the  Babylonian  Academies  this  was  actually 
the  case.  But  there  is  sufficient  evidence  for  the  assumption 
that  the  term  Resh  Kalla  was  used  in  two  different  senses. 
Here  again  Rapoport's  ingenious  conjectures  help  to  clear 
up  many  difficulties.76  He  drew  attention  to  the  prayer 
|p"il3  mp^  in  which  the  Reshe  Kalla  are  mentioned  before 
the  exilarchs  and  the  heads  of  the  academies.  For  it  is 
hard  to  get  reconciled  to  the  idea  that  the  titles  are 
enumerated  at  random.  He  accordingly  concludes  that 
this  prayer  was  composed  in  Palestine  where  the  Resh  Kalla 
was  the  highest  dignitary.  The  words  rbl  W~b  refer  to 
the  preceding  words  JunpH  KJHK3  n,  while  ^nh  Knfa  wb 
ton  "T  ynh  KMTID  refer  to  ^233  m.  Ginzberg,  too,  in  his 
Geonica'1'1  has  pointed  out  that  '  besides  the  seven  m/3  ^'NT, 
the  title  of  the  seven  most  prominent  members  of  the 
Academy,  there  must  have  been  also  the  tiki  B*"i  who  took 
an  active  part  in  the  instruction  given  at  the  Academy'. 
The  same  scholar  gave  plausible  reasons  for  his  hypothesis 

73  See  Neubauer,  Mediaeval  Jewish  Chronicles,  I,  pp.  31,  32. 

74  Rapoport,  loc.  cit.,  is  undecided  on  this  matter,  but  Poznanski  is  of 
the  opinion  that  the  terms  are  identical.     See  D'OW   D^MV,  p    48.     The 
proofs  he  advances  are,  however,  not  convincing. 

75  See  Neubauer,  op.  cit.,  II,  pp.  78  If.  '*  See  op.  cit.,  pp.  63,  64. 
77  I,  p.  8,  note  i. 


INTRODUCTION  I    HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  27 

that  originally  the  head  of  the  Academy  at  Pumbedita  was 
styled  Resh  Kalla,  not  Gaon.78 

Then  there  is  a  talmudic  passage  which  tends  to  prove 
that  the  Resh  Kalla  was  higher  in  rank  than  the  Rosh 
Yeshibah  during  the  amoraic  period.  It  is  stated  in 
Berakot  57a  that  if  one  enters  a  shrubbery  in  his  dream  it 
is  a  sign  that  he  will  become  a  Rosh  Yeshibah,  while  if  he 
enters  a  forest  he  will  become  '  head  of  the  sons  of  the 
Kalla '.  Now  as  a  forest  is  larger  than  a  shrubbery,  one  is 
inclined  to  think  that  a  Resh  Kalla  was  more  important 
than  a  Rosh  Yeshibah.73 

At  all  events  it  seems  safe  to  assume  that  some  Reshe 
Kalla  were  heads  of  independent  academies,  and  owed  no 
allegiance  to  the  Gaon.  This  accounts  for  the  fact  that 
some  scholars  outi-ide  the  gaonic  academies  bore  the  title 
Resh  Kalla.  There  would  then  be  no  need  to  assume,  in 
some  cases  at  least,  that  this  title  was  conferred  by  the 
Gaon  upon  foreign  scholars  as  a  mark  of  respect.  That 
Hefes  belonged  to  this  class  of  Reshe  Kalla  seems  to  be 
clear  from  the  fact  that  he  is  styled  Rosh  Yeshibah  by 
Solomon  Parhon.80  Moreover,  the  Resh  Kalla  in  the 
gaonic  academy  would  hardly  have  ventured  to  write 
a  comprehensive  work  on  Halakah.  We  know  that  they 
were  not  even  allowed  to  answer  Responsa.81 

78  Op.  cit.,  pp.  46-50. 

79  Rashi,  who  evidently  knew  that  the  Resh  Kalla  was  inferior  in  rank 
to   the  Rosh  Yeshibah,    explains  the  passage   in   the  following   manner  : 
a  shrubbery  which  consists  of  big  and  small  trees,  and  is  dense,  is  a  sign 
for  a  Rosh  Yeshibah,  for  young  and  old   gather  together  to  listen  to  his 
lectures  ;  while  a  forest  which  consists  of  big  trees  not  close  to  one  another 
is  a  sign  for  the  head  of  the  pupils,  that  is  to  say,  the  Resh  Kalla  who 
explains  to  the  pupils  the  subject  expounded  by  the  teacher.     This  com- 
parison is,  however,  too  forced. 

80  See  above,  note  32.  81  See  Ginzberg,  Geonica,  I,  p  8. 


28  HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

It  should  be  noted  that  the  meaning  N^D  has  not  been 
satisfactorily  explained.  It  is  usual  to  vocalize  it  N??,  and 
in  deference  to  custom  I  transliterate  it  accordingly.  But 
it  seems  doubtful  whether  it  yields  a  suitable  meaning. 
To  take  it  to  denote  crown  seems  unlikely  for  various 
reasons.  To  begin  with,  a  crozvn  in  Aramaic  is  usually 
l6v3,  not  N^3.  Then  even  if  we  connect  it  with  the  crown 
of  the  law,  the  sense  is  still  obscure.  Rapoport  takes  it  to 
signify  a  lecture?*  but  does  not  explain  the  etymology. 
The  most  plausible  suggestion  appears  to  me  to  vocalize  it 
N?3,  and  assign  to  it  the  signification  of  assembly  >  gathering. 
A  striking  parallel  is  found  in  Arabic  s^Tand  A*»l»,  both  of 
which  denote  academy  \  ttniversity. 

As  a  writer  Hefes  is  only  known  by  his  Book  of 
Precepts.  All  quotations  hitherto  found  can  be  traced  to 
that  book  which  was  a  storehouse  of  Halakah,  philology, 
and  philosophy  as  it  was  understood  in  those  days.  First 
and  foremost  he  was  a  Halakist,  and  it  is  chiefly  in  this 
branch  of  Jewish  learning  that  his  interests  were  centred. 
Philology  and  philosophy  claimed  his  attention  only  so  far 
as  they  had  any  bearing  upon  Halakah.  His  book  was  the 
standard  work  on  Halakah  in  Bahya  b.  Pakuda's  days. 
For  in  enumerating  the  various  authoritative  books  in  all 
branches,  Bahya  names  the  Book  of  Precepts  by  Hefes  b. 
Yasliah  which  gave  a  brief  account  of  all  laws  as  compared 
with  the  Halakot  Gedolot  which  contained  only  those  that 
are  obligatory  at  this  time.83  It  is  always  quoted  with  the 

82  Jeshurun,  VIII,  p.  63. 


83  j'an  i 


rna/m  nipiDa  mata  Ji«  ^UjJi  IJA  j  l^  lu^b  u  Ulj  n^v  p 

rivrU  (Duties  of  the  Heart,  ed.  Yahuda,  p.  7.    It  is  also  quoted  by  Kaufmann, 
Die  Theulogie  des  Bahja  ibn  Pakuda,  p.  5). 


INTRODUCTION  I    HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  29 

highest  respect,  and  the  author's  decisions  are  usually 
accepted.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  had  the  author 
written  this  book  in  Hebrew,  the  references  to  it  would 
have  been  more  numerous.  As  it  is,  the  author  was  lost 
sight  of  with  the  disappearance  of  the  knowledge  of 
Halakah  in  Arabic-speaking  countries.  The  few  references 
to  R.  Hefes  that  occur  in  books  by  writers  who  did  not 
know  Arabic  are  borrowed  from  other  sources.84 

Not  being  satisfied  with  a  mere  enumeration  of  the 
precepts,  as  was  done  by  the  author  of  the  Halakot  Gedolot, 
and,  centuries  later,  by  Maimonides,  he  gives  a  lengthy 
discussion  of  each  detail.  In  the  ethical  precepts  he  had 
occasion  to  expound  his  philosophical  speculations  which 
show  him  to  be  a  clear  thinker,  well  versed  in  the  philo- 
sophical doctrines  of  his  times.  Whenever  he  quoted  an 
obscure  passage  from  the  Bible  or  rabbinic  literature  he 
appended  to  it  a  commentary  which  is  remarkable  for  its 
precision.  There  is  sufficient  testimony  that  he  was  dis- 
tinguished in  all  these  branches.  As  a  rational  commentator 
of  the  Bible  he  is  quoted  by  grammarians,  lexicographers, 
and  commentators  like  Ibn  Janah,  Ibn  Bal'Sin,  Solomon 
Parhon,  and  Tanhum  Yerushalmi.  •  Here,  too,  as  in  the 
case  of  Halakah,  his  opinions  command  the  greatest  respect, 
and  are  usually  adopted.85  Even  the  ill-tempered  Ibn  Balaam 
who  had  no  regard  for  authorities 8G  is  glad  to  find  in  Hefes 

M  Thus  Piske  Recanate,  38  b,  is  a  direct  quotation  from  Alfasi's  Responsa, 
109. 

85  Solomon   Parhon    in    his   Mahberet  he-'Aruk,  s.  v.  JJlfp,  adopts  the 
interpretation  of  Hefes  against  Sa'adya's. 

86  See    Moses   ibn     Ezra,    al-Muhddarah    wal-Mudakarah,    quoted    by 
Derenbourg,  Closes  d'Abou  Zakariya  Yahia  ben  Bilam  sur  Isaie,  p.  7,  and 
Fuchs,  Studien,  p.  23.    n3")E>  fO  1PIX   D^D"1   D?,  Nobody  escaped  his  attacks 
(lit.  his  net}. 


30      HEFES  B.  YASLIAH  S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

support  for  his  view.87  Naturally  Hefes  did  not  entirely 
escape  the  severe  criticism  of  Ibn  Bal'am  who  in  his  com- 
mentary on  Deut.  30.  2  blames  him  for  having  counted  that 
verse  as  a  precept  and  for  interpreting  R.  Simlai's  statement 
literally.  And  if  writers  on  the  Bible  are  greatly  indebted 
to  Hefes,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  he  laid  under  still 
greater  obligation  early  lexicographers  and  interpreters  of 
the  Mishnah  and  Gemara.  His  influence  upon  Maimonides 
is  evident  from  the  remarks  of  the  latter  in  Pe'er  ha-Dor, 
140,  142,  that  his  errors  in  certain  matters  are  due  to  his 
having  followed  R.  Hefes. 

Some  of  the  philosophic  doctrines  of  Hefes  have 
fortunately  been  preserved  for  us  by  Judah  b.  Barzillai, 
a  writer  of  the  twelfth  century.  In  his  commentary  on  the 
Book  of  Creation,  whose  value  lies  more  in  the  lengthy 
quotations  from  books  no  longer  extant  than  in  the  author's 
own  views,  he  gives  at  length  the  first  two  precepts  of 
Hefes's  Book.  This  passage  is  an  important  contribution  to 
mediaeval  Jewish  philosophy.  In  order  to  appraise  Hefes 
as  a  philosopher  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  reprint  the 
entire  passage  here,  and  translate  it  into  English.  This  is 
also  rendered  necessary  by  the  fact  that  the  printed  edition 
is  not  free  from  errors.  Halberstam  who  edited  the  text 
did  not  see  the  manuscript.  According  to  the  evidence  of 
the  transcriber,  the  unique  copy  upon  which  the  edition  is 
based  teems  with  errors.88  Add  to  these  disadvantages 

87  nvp  IN  ^ip  TK<  NO  ptnefoc  asna  <a  pan  ^  n^n  ip 

KI:&  D'Dap  nnn  N;TD  ]xb  ^Np  nna^N  ;NDT  f»  tonp  nypi  t?a^a 

PITS  ill.  /  saw  »'«  the  Book  of  Precepts  by  R.  Hefes  something  which  strengthens 
my  assertion  that  the  narrative  of  the  concubine  took  place  closely  upon  the 
titne  of  the  conquest.  He  said :  because  at  that  time  the  tribes  were  allowed  to 
intermarry  (Ibn  Bal'am's  Commentary  on  Judges  20.  28,  ed.  Poznanski). 

88  See  Halberstam's  preface,  p.  ix,  note. 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  31 

the  circumstance  that  Judah  b.  Barzillai  did  not  see  the 
Book  of  Precepts,  but  quoted  the  passage  second  hand,  and 
the  corruptions  will  be  accounted  for.  Owing  to  these 
cogent  reasons,  I  hope  to  be  pardoned  for  this  digression.89 
bw  incN3  irmajrnoi  unjn  nrrb  VJH-IN  mxo  !"lWK*)n  mx&PI 
Die>  ^ai  PSD  -nmn  pxa  ban  jn«  NIHP  1:33^3  UN-na  N^er6  nan 
^>N  nni3t?m  DIM  njm  9°3'nrD  DCN  Ninsr  nyi^  mrix 

D"na  nnwp  iiya  noiba  DVH  njm  '-a  .«i  1 

^  ^sns  K^  DIN 


p 


mio  Nin  JIB^  »a  ncN3  Kxcjn  Nin  DVJ^WI  Nin  'n  »a 


Nin  »a  mo1-        Nin  D'HN  r'Di  /iscn  nan 


DIN  mar,?  nn«  N^N  'n  o^a  Nip:  N/I 


n  jv  ^  nxin  Nn  ,a  pnxi  an  Nin*^  eniao  'n 
^  ny  N^N  pix  rn»  n»»pn»  nh  D^ycn  ^a  ^y  pnN 
.piN  ib  iTn%t?  iy  o^pn11  N^  na'yon  Dai  i^  JHN  wnt?  n 

cN  .npyoi  IIH^NI  «onp  DW  ^3  TDVID  at?  DM{JK  pa^ 

'n  nwy  D^a  "a^nai  no  ^y  N^O  D^iy  ^y  N^D  DB>  i»atn 


89  Commentary  on  the  Sefer  Yesirafi,  ed.  Halberstam,  pp.  55,  56.     The 
quotation  is  introduced  by  the  following  remark  :  DH"O"incn   |D  TflN  3J"D1 

I^NI  ni3"n  nbnra  niscn  'nt?  I^N^  ^"r  PI^N  pan  nano 
'n  ^Nir»  yet?  7:i  133^  i>N  nuwi  ovn  nyn^i  vn 
'n. 

90  Deut.  4.  39. 

91  Eccles.  1.  13.   The  reading  there  is  HN  TlWl.    Comp.,  however,  r.  17. 
99  Isa.  44.  19.  8S  Gen.  i.  i. 

94  Bereshit  Rabba  13.  3.     The  reading  there  is  TCfD.     See  Theodor's 
edition,  p.  115. 

95  Gen.  2.  4.    From  Hefes's  statement  it  seems  that  the  mjdrashic  remark 


32  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

<3   D'3xta   tPXTQ   DnDBOB*   TO  ^3  by  m^   Q»DC*3  ''21    .C'S'JI 

nvi  "a^nana  nrman  bsai   nro  bsa  ncsa  WDN^  innay* 
HDT  'nb  iny  prrca  97  »o  *a  D»BTIP  bnp3  irwcN  ej«  'n  IK^D 
'bya  ps3B»  no  by  mv  nnno  psn  bjn  .-ncron  bai  D^K  'aa  nb 
x  Nin  -a  na»3  nan  batr  o«n  rnn  ia  B^B'  'D  ^21 

nicB'  "»^nror  B*J?W  nana  U»CK*I  123  ni>  pa6  '• 
100  [noi]  .onaa  ^OB'  bna  iwao  ny  crcir  nn:»D  *a 
.njwn  ma  cnaxt?  ica  ncxa   n^n*  Niny  mv  my  101p 
"a  B^K  ab  by  nby^  nvsi  ncbnnb  DIN  I»-«B>  b*T  wman  new 

no  jn^  mm  iM  nipB*  nn  I02pm  niy  pw  TH»  Kin 


was  made  upon  this  verse.  In  the  Midrash,  however,  it  is  on  verse  5.  It  is 
naturally  more  appropriate  on  the  foimer,  where  D^rvN  'H  is  mentioned 
for  the  first  time. 

w  Ps.  89.  6,  7. 

87  The  manuscript  has  flD,  and  it  is  corrected  by  Halberstam. 

98  The  edition  reads  D^i'S  £3131!  VrPiDt?  ub  nflSt?,  which  gives  no 
sense  at  all.  Halberstam  emends  it  to  12,)'n3nK>,  which  does  not  suit  the 
context.  My  emendation  is  quite  obvious:  D  was  misread  as  3,  and  the 
word  was  therefore  divided  into  two.  01311  may  perhaps  be  read  as 
C13T1,  but  1H3"11  is  more  suitable,  and  the  conuption  may  be  accounted  for 
by  the  fact  that  1^  written  in  a  cursive  hand  may  be  easily  misread  as  Q. 
What  Hefes  wrote  in  Arabic  was  no  doubt  H^KlpNl 


The  idea  expressed  is  that  all  rational  beings  know  that  He  is  the 
true  God,  they  only  differ  as  to  His  names  and  sayings.     This  is  a  thought 
often  met  with  in  mediaeval  Jewish  philosophy,  and  its  origin  is  in  Menahot 
no  a,  where  this  very  verse  is  cited. 
99  Malachi  i.  n. 

100  This  word  is  missing  in  the  text.    As  it  is  the  method  of  Hefes  in  this 
passage,  as  well  as  in  the  fragment  of  the  original,  to  explain  each  word  and 
phrase,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  he  elucidates  the  phrase  Y,y  pX  of  the 
Deut.   verse,  and  that  it  has  no  connexion  with  the  preceding.     Hence 
it    is   necessary  to  supply  some  such  word  as  HOI.     Hefes  wrote  H?1p 
and  had  one  of  the  Ibn  Tibbons  translated   it  he  would  have   put  i~lJ2N1. 
But   our   translator   lived  before    that  period  in  which    it  was   considered 
fashionable  to  imitate  the  Arabic  idioms  and  constructions,  and  he  therefore 
rendered  that  word  by  "ICWt?  I"l£1,  or  perhaps  by  "ICXE*  PID1. 

101  The  printed  edition  has  pJO,  which  is  obviously  an  error. 
">2  Pirke  Abot.  2.  14. 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    B.    YAsLIAH 

•  • 

na  prnnn*>  JVKI   mpen   nn 


x  D^DI  ncnx  jrn?  onan  nyaiKD  71331  net:  o«nn  ^ya 
jna  iiD^m  ni3ia3  r»VK"n  yiT  mi  ,nn»3i  3^  sin  ptai  TDU 


DTO  B»^  ^2     DDVyO  HD13  K 

ns  ^3*OB>  rmm  trsn  nx  nnaD^  tron  p:a 

pi  .pt6  D^n^i  D^DS3B>  n^jn  .nsnb  ^nx  b  pi 
ins  i>3B>  *D^  oovyo  11013  N^i]103  mo*  ins  ^  DW 

1x^33  vbi  [ono^  104inx  ^D  D^nv  13N  nroi  nii33i 

b  t^  »a  1333^  n3>3o  uy~>^ 
»3  '•Nnm  n»N3  JHIM  ins 
niTcn  N^3i  PSD  N^3  bn 
105 


D»inv  13N  PNI  Nv»3  Dttrv  w^nu^noa  nnan^i  unyn 
nion  Nini  D^  'n  n3iDm  107  s^nana  noa  nnir  ^ni>ir  jvoni 
.nri?  m  non  13^^  a"yN  p3yi>  n^aa^  anp  NIHB'  108n»i  nun  nmr 

xe*  ••133  n^a^    oaaa  WKB>   ora 


311 


103  The  sentences  enclosed   in  brackets  were   omitted  by  the   copyist 
through   homoioteleuton,    and   were   afterwards   supplied   at  Halberstanvs 
request   by  two   gentlemen  who    had   the   manuscript  before   them.     See 
Halberstam's  preface,  p.  x,  and  notes  on  p.  ago. 

104  The  printed  edition  has  TPIN,  which  gives  no  sense. 

105  Isa.  40.  18.  m  Deut.  4.  12.  »"  Num.  12.  8. 

108  The  printed  text  has  1HD1. 

109  These  words  are  added  in  the  same  way  as  is  explained  in  note  103. 
Instead  of  liyj^  the  printed  text  has  "1^13,?,  which  gives  no  sense.     I  am 
not  confident  about  this  emendation.  no  See  note  103. 

D 


34      HEFES  B.  YASLIAH  S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

.c/'rv  bn  "W  nun  3nw  i^n  ~\u\rr\  $>p  mastao  wea  DIN  p 


unjna  -nannh  uaai>a  lu|»snnij  ir 


nnix  inipya  irm  own  wn  1^3  na^on  nvryo  ncriy  n 
anpD  hs>Bii  nr  *a  i:cy  'iro  I^B*  <iai?  neny  nx  nynn  najn  «S]  l12 
nivp  Nnu  'n  ohy  ^nbs  r\ycv  vh  DN  nyi11  x!?n  113  a^n^n^  [i^i?  nynn 
mso  JVJBTl  niV^n  .in^nn^  npn  px  w«  N^I  «|jr» 
m!?2  ncN3  nnx  Kin  *a  PE>D 
PIW  DIB'  niDTi  nsno  ^  ai^m  N  .inr  nnx  Tiy  psi  w 
'n  -m115  'n  ^^y"4  psa  tnpn  '3ns  •&  n^arty  a"yxi  ohy3 
{ron!?  N^N  13  iTarn  xi?  »3  nm  njnai  v^n  onn 
UN  D<a«m  .iny  ynm  w^e^a  'n  ya^  117my  3Hna-i3  onx  -33 

iyD    N^31   ^131   N^3   1TI3331)   1OVy3   1HX  N 

p^nn^i  oyon^i  n3nni>  inhr  inx  i»ai  yuy^i  ^:B>  ^3-1  nwa 
,pn:i  HDSJI  wen  nbni  nbnn  ib  ^1  Tienoi  n3nn»i 
'n  ^i^11  yoB'  118  a*nana  n^so  nnx  U3*B«  N!>  nar 
pna  {^an11  119npyn  ^y  inhr  inx  px^  pnan6  mnnrn  .*mK  'n  i^n 
nnx  nns  o»an  "IBDCHB'  iJ^  man*  niaoni  laooni  Dmi  nns  pjy 
nns  niyi  '11  '31  D^ITB'  IHNIDI  .owsn  nine'  ioa  Nin 
120  »a  man*  pi  .pao  ^a  naoon  W  pB'Ni  nnsnB'  yn^a  inxn 
onaio  u«  nnsn  nnNB'  srb  onpio  nnxm  nnsn  121^y  i>b  o-3-in 

IHN  "nnN  N^N  myi  '31  'a  D'ncix  pw  122nnxn  naocn 

nar  n!?yn 


111  Kaufmann,  p.  335,  emends  it  to  pCNnnp.  But  there  is  no  need 
to  alter  the  text.  The  Hithpa'el  is  here  used  as  the  biblical  Niph'al. 
Com  p.  Isa.  22.  33. 

312  See  note  103.  m  Isa.  40.  28. 

114  Zach.  4.  10,  and  many  other  places. 

116  Exod.  9.  3,  and  many  other  places. 

118  Isa.  66.  i,  where  it  is  ^31,  not  I^T. 

»7  Ibid.,  62.  8.  "»  Deut.  6.  4. 

119  Arabic  J^l      lc.  12°  The  printed  text  has  pi  . 
121  Arabic     \c  J^,.                              122  The  printed  text 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    B.    YASLIAH 

.  .  . 


onoiKn  DT'tantp  norn  »«?      ps-i  inn»  jw  pjnv  UK 
maniB>  'sta  .nnx  Kins?  nD"ta  nyna  pwi>  tav  N!> 
nvn5>  prp  K^  ^an  KTOI  .w  -6  pxtj>  mam  JI^NI  bab 

nnx  Kin  "a  irtar  lan  b^  ^^  unarn^  o^an  i>ao  [i^]12* 
non  li?  ^^  nm  bi  3*y^  ucnpn  nt^Ka  inhr  nnx  pxi 
i^si  fjiDi  n^nn  ib  E»T  uyDn"1!  niin11  yuyji  pjiai 
u«nhi  *a  np^yai  noxa  UVT  i^Nn  wxin  i?a  inKisi  . 

DK  ^N  noy  o\ni?K  psi  Kin  -OK  UK  sa  nny  IKT 
DK  nyT  N^n  "'a^na  niyi  3"vo  n»o  pKi  KQ^K  UKI 
PK  yv  «h  sjy«  K^>  pxn  mvp  KID  'n  ohy  vita 


c  The  first  precept  enjoins  us  to  unite  our  mind  and 
thoughts  on  the  truth  of  the  matter ;  to  make  our  Creator 
exist  in  our  heart,  and  to  consider  Him  Lord  of  all  things, 
without  a  shadow  of  doubt,  and  without  any  other  thought; 
to  know  that  He  is  truth  ;  as  it  is  written  :  Know  therefore 
this  day,  and  lay  it  to  thy  heart,  &c.  The  words  know 
therefore  this  day  imply :  while  thou  art  yet  alive ;  for 
after  a  man's  death  his  knowledge  will  not  avail  him,  and 
he  will  not  be  able  to  repair  the  error  which  he  committed 
during  his  life.  And  the  words,  and  lay  it  to  thy  heart, 
imply  that  thou  shouldst  lay  this  matter  to  thy  mind 
and  the  vision  of  thy  heart,  as  it  is  written  :  And  I  applied 
my  heart  to  seek  and  to  search  otit  by  wisdom.  The  proof 
that  laying  a  thing  to  one's  heart  makes  one  understand 
it  is  to  be  found  in  the  words  of  the  prophet,  who  says 
concerning  a  man  who  does  not  set  his  heart  to  differentiate 
between  the  essential  and  the  unessential :  He  calleth  not 
to  mind,  neither  is  there  knowledge  or  understanding  to  say, 

125  See  note  103.  1M  Deut.  32.  39.  i:5  Isa.  40.  aa 

D  2 


36          HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

/  have  burned  half  of  it  in  the  fire.  And  the  meaning  of  the 
words,  that  the  Lord  (mrp)  He  is  God,  is  that  He  is  existent 
in  truth,  for  the  word  ton  denotes  something  that  exists. 
And  the  name  D^n^N  signifies  something  fundamental,  for 
He  is  fundamental,  and  He  is  everything ;  as  it  is  written : 
In  the  beginning  Elohim  created.  He  was  only  named 
mif  after  man  and  the  universe  were  created.  The  word 
nirp  explicitly  states  that  He  is  Master  and  Lord  of  all. 
Seest  thou  not  that  the  word  mrv  explicitly  states  that 
He  is  Master  of  all  created  things  ?  Nor  can  any  one  be 
proclaimed  Lord  until  the  thing  over  which  he  is  Lord 
becomes  a  fact ;  similarly  no  being  can  be  established 
unless  it  has  a  master.  But  the  name  Elohim  is  funda- 
mental, and  does  not  imply  priority,  or  posteriority,  or 
the  existence  of  a  created  thing.  The  ancients  say  con- 
cerning the  verse  in  the  day  when  DVPK  nw  made  earth 
and  heaven:  He  'mentioned  a  complete  name  concerning  a 
complete  world.  The  words  in  heaven  indicate  all  that  is 
in  heaven,  stars  and  angels;  for  all  worship  Him,  and 
believe  in  truth  with  all  their  power  and  understanding, 
as  it  is  written :  And  the  heavens  shall  praise  Thy  wonders, 
also  Thy  belief  in  the  assembly  of  the  holy  ones.  For  who 
in  the  skies  can  be  compared  unto  the  Lord?  Who  among 
the  sons  of  the  mighty  is  like  unto  the  Lord?  &c.  And 
the  words,  and  upon  the  earth,  signify  that  which  is  on 
earth,  rational  beings  and  animals ;  for  it  is  evident  from 
all  things  that  He  is  the  God  of  truth.  All  rational  beings 
acknowledge  this,  and  believe  in  that  thing,  although  His 
names  and  words  vary  among  them.  For  it  is  written : 
For  from  the  rising  of  the  sun  even  unto  the  going  down 
of  the  same,  My  name  is  great  among  the  Gentiles.  And 
the  words  there  is  none  else  indicate  that  He  is  the  only 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  37 

one  in  truth,  as  I  shall  explain  in  this  section.  Our  teachers 
of  blessed  memory  said  that  a  man  should  learn  all  proofs 
that  might  possibly  occur  to  him  that  He  is  one,  and  there 
is  no  other,  as  it  is  said:  Be  diligent  to  learn  the  Law, 
so  that  tkott  mayest  know  what  to  answer  a  heretic.  ,  I 
am  obliged  to  explain  here  this  proof  in  order  that 
one  may  be  strengthened  in  the  truth  that  He  is  one, 
and  is  the  Creator  of  all  things.  Know  that  all  things 
that  exist  and  are  known,  vegetables  and  animals,  are 
composed  of  four  elements,  which  are  earth,  water,  fire, 
and  air :  it  is  from  them  that  they  are  created,  and  it  is 
to  them  that  they  will  return,  and  become  effaced.  This 
is  known  by  true  demonstration.  The  element  in  them 
is  visible,  and  can  be  tested.  Now  since  the  element  is 
visible  and  can  be  tested,  for  they  are  established  and  blended 
together,  we  know  from  our  understanding  that  another 
creator  moulded  them,  and  they  were  not  created  of  their 
own  accord.  For  some  of  these  elements  may  overpower 
the  others,  annihilate  and  destroy  them,  as,  for  instance, 
water  extinguishes  fire,  and  the  wind  dries  up  water ;  and 
similarly  in  other  cases.  Moreover,  they  decay  and  vanish. 
Similarly  it  is  known  that  the  spheres  and  stars  were 
created  by  some  one  else,  and  were  not  created  by  them- 
selves. Now  since  we  know  by  the  understanding  of  our 
heart  that  everything  has  a  creator  and  a  founder,  and 
that  nothing  is  created  by  itself,  it  is  clear  and  evident 
with  truth  and  certainty  that  He  who  founded  and  created 
the  world,  who  rules  and  guides  it,  is  Master  of  everything 
without  doubt  or  uncertainty.  He  is  God  alone  to  whom 
no  image  or  likeness  can  be  compared,  as  it  is  written : 
To  whom  then  will  ye  liken  God?  or  what  likeness  zvill  ye 
compare  unto  Him?  And  so  did  Moses  our  teacher  say: 


38  HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

And  ye  saw  no  form,  only  ye  heard  a  voice.  By  these  proofs 
it  is  established  in  our  minds,  and  becomes  manifest  in 
our  thoughts  that  God  exists,  and  that  we  know  of  Him 
no  form  or  likeness  except  the  splendour  of  His  glory; 
as  it  is  written:  And  he  beholds  the  form  of 'the  Lord.  And 
that  is  the  form  of  the  splendour  of  His  glory,  and  that 
which  is  approximately  near  His  glory,  though  they  do 
not  resemble  one  another. — When  we  enter  a  house, 
although  the  builder  who  built  it  is  not  present,  we  know 
that  undoubtedly  a  builder  built  it,  as  if  we  were  present 
at  the  time  of  its  construction.  But  if  we  try  to  conjure 
up  in  our  mind  the  form  and  likeness  of  the  builder, 
his  stature,  the  colour  of  his  hair,  and  other  details,  we 
would  fail  to  accomplish  it  by  mere  belief.  Now  since 
we  are  unable  to  grasp,  from  his  work,  the  details  about 
a  man  who  is  like  us,  how  much  less  can  we  conceive 
the  likeness  of  the  Creator  of  all  things,  blessed  be  His 
name !  I  give  this  proof  in  order  that  it  may  be  fixed 
in  our  heart,  and  established  in  our  mind  with  certainty, 
that  the  fact  that  a  thing  is  made  is  evidence  that  there 
is  a  maker,  as  if  we  had  seen  him  make  it ;  and  the  intellect 
cannot  deny  the  existence  of  the  maker  merely  because 
he  is  not  present,  for  this  parable  makes  this  idea  clear 
to  the  mind.  As  it  is  written  :  Hast  tJion  not  known  ?  hast 
thou  110 1  heard?  The  everlasting  God,  the  Lord,  the 
Creator  of  the  ends  of  the  earth,  fainteth  not,  neither  is 
He  weary,  there  is  no  searching  of  His  understanding. 

'  The  second  precept  enjoins  us  to  consider  the  Creator 
as  the  only  one,  and  to  believe  in  our  heart  and  thoughts 
that  He,  in  truth  and  without  any  doubt,  is  one,  and  that 
there  is  no  other  besides  Him.  We  must  not  attribute 
to  Him  any  likeness  or  semblance  of  any  corporeal  thing 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  39 

in  the  world,  although  such  things  occur  in  Scripture,  as 
for  instance,  the  eyes  of  the  Lord,  the  hand  of  the  Lord, 
the  earth  is  My  footstool,  and  many  other  similar  cases. 
These  expressions  are  only  used  in  order  to  liken  Him 
in  accordance  with  human  speech,  as  it  is  also  written: 
The  Lord  hath  sworn  by  His  right  hand  and  by  the  arm 
of  His  strength.  It  is  also  our  duty  to  believe  with  truth 
and  certainty  that  He  is  one  in  His  essence  and  glory, 
without  increase  or  decrease,  without  conjunction  or  division, 
without  change  or  motion.  But  everything  else  besides 
Him  increases  and  decreases ;  is  divisible ;  becomes  new 
and  old ;  is  joined  and  divided ;  has  a  beginning  and  an 
end ;  is  subject  to  change ;  decays  and  is  set  firm.  None 
of  these  things,  however,  apply  to  our  Creator,  whose 
memory  is  exalted,  as  it  is  written :  Hear,  O  Israel,  the 
Lord  is  our  God,  the  Lord  is  one.  And  he  who  desires 
to  prove  that  there  is  no  other  besides  Him  at  all,  should 
investigate  the  law  of  singular  and  plural,  of  the  number 
and  the  numbered.  It  will  become  evident  that  the  plural 
is  composed  of  units,  as  the  ancients  have  taught.  Now 
since  2,  3,  4,  &c.  come  after  i,  it  is  evident  that  i  is  without 
any  doubt  prior  to  any  other  number.  It  is  also  established 
that  the  plural  contains  i,  and  that  i  is  prior  to  all  the 
others,  for  after  i  we  count  the  other  numbers,  and  we 
only  say  2,  3,  &c.  after  we  said  i.  Now  since  the  truth 
of  the  matter  has  been  established  that  our  Creator,  whose 
name  is  exalted,  is  prior  to  anything  that  is  first,  we  know 
that  there  is  none  like  Him,  that  He  has  no  second  or 
anything  similar.  For  those  misguided  people  who  declare 
that  He  has  a  second  cannot  be  consistent  with  a  perfect 
mind  and  say  that  He  is  one.  Since  it  has  been  established 
that  He  is  prior  to  anything  that  is  first,  it  is  manifest 


40  HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

that  He  has  no  second.  In  consequence  of  all  the  reasons 
we  have  mentioned,  it  is  inconceivable  that  the  Creator 
of  all  things  should  have  any  of  the  qualities  possessed 
by  all  other  beings.  For  He  is  one  in  truth,  and  there 
is  no  other  besides  Him,  as  we  have  stated  above.  For 
anything  that  possesses  a  similitude,  adjunct,  divisibility, 
changeability,  corporeality,  and  motion  must  necessarily  be 
subject  to  increase  and  decrease,  and  must  have  a  beginning 
and  an  end,  and  hence  is  not  one  at  all.  From  all  these 
proofs  we  know  in  truth  and  principle  that  our  God  is  one, 
as  it  is  written  :  See  now  that  /,  even  /,  am  He,  and  there 
is  no  God  with  Me  ;  I  kill  and  make  alive  ;  I  wound  and 
heal;  and  there  is  none  that  can  deliver  oiit  of  My  hand. 
It  is  also  written  :  Hast  thou  not  known  f  hast  thou  not 
heard?  The  everlasting  God,  the  Lord,  the  Creator  of 
the  ends  of  the  earth,  fainteth  not,  neither  is  He  weary, 
there  is  no  searching  of  His  tinder  standing! 

In  this  passage  the  kernel  of  mediaeval  Jewish  phi- 
losophy is  contained,  for  it  is  practically  on  these  lines 
that  later  Jewish  philosophers  proved  the  existence  and 
unity  of  God.  Kaufmann  was  certainly  right  in  pointing 
out  that  Bahya  followed  Hefes  in  proving  the  existence 
of  God  from  the  composition  of  the  four  elements.126  Here 
again  Hefes  meets  with  Sa'adya  who  treats  of  the  same 
topic  in  the  second  chapter  of  al-Amdndt  wal-Ttikadat. 
They  both  explain  the  anthropomorphic  expressions  that 
occur  in  the  Bible.127  The  difference  in  temperament 
between  these  two  writers  is  clearly  marked.  Sa'adya  was 
always  in  a  polemical  vein,  and  consequently  treated  the 

128  See  Judah  b.  Barzillai,  Commentary  on  the  Sefer  Yesirah,  p.  335. 
i«  Comp.  especially  ^VU.*  JLi-l     4)1 


JiaUl      9   lijJiC  (ed.  Landauer,  p.  89). 


INTRODUCTION  !    HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  41 

subject  from  all  possible  points  of  view,  refuting  actual 
and  imaginary  doctrines.  He  is  never  content  to  expound 
his  own  beliefs,  but  is  always  at  pains  to  prove  the  un- 
tenability  of  any  other  opinion.  Hefes,  on  the  other  hand, 
is  calm  and  impassive.  Nothing  exists  for  him  but  his 
own  convictions.  His  thoughts  and  ideas  are  simple  and 
naive.  He  does  not  enter  into  intricate  discussion,  but 
gives  illustrations  from  familiar  objects.  As  his  own  con- 
victions are  to  him  self-evident,  there  is  no  need  to  refute 
the  doctrines  of  others.  Grant  his  premisses,  and  his 
conclusions  will  follow  quite  naturally. 

Whether  Hefes  wrote  any  special  treatise  on  philosophy 
is  unknown.  As  such  a  book  is  nowhere  mentioned,  the 
assertion  may  be  hazarded  that  he  incorporated  all  his 
philosophical  speculations  in  the  Book  of  Precepts. 

Another  book  by  Hefes  is  alluded  to  by  himself  in  the 
Book  of  Precepts.128  This  was  a  treatise  on  Quantities 
or  Measures  (j>*\**,  i.e.  D^W).  But  only  the  intention 
of  composing  a  book  devoted  to  this  subject  is  recorded 
there,  and  it  is  not  known  whether  he  carried  out  his 
resolution.  It  should  be  observed  that  the  passage  in 
question  is  slightly  corrupt.  It  is  as  follows:  mn  nr\W\ 
yy«  -nxpcta  me>  tDD3  $y  winy  np  ixi>i  mxnaaa  !WB  mgc&M 
rb  *nw  JN  UNro  *s  DHUHG&M.  The  explanations  of  these 
subjects  are  long  ;  we  abridge  them,  because  we  have  in  mind 
to  treat  at  full  length  of  all  the  quantities  in  a  book  which 
we  shall  devote  to  this  subject.  The  verb  ?iy  is  ambiguous, 
as  it  usually  denotes  he  relied  tipon.  Accordingly  it  would 
be  reasonable  to  assume  that  the  book  had  already  been 
written.  Dozy,  however,  gives  also  the  meaning  of  prendre 
resolution,  and  this  suits  most  admirably  the  continuation 

128  Fol.  193,  1.  i.     See  note  to  that  passage. 


42  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

TID3.  It  is  the  latter  word,  which  is  imperfect,  that  forces 
the  conclusion  upon  us  that  when  Hefes  wrote  that  remark 
the  book  on  Quantities  was  not  yet  committed  to  writing. 
Whether  it  was  ever  written  cannot  be  stated  with  certainty. 
It  is  nowhere  else  quoted,  and  in  absence  of  any  corrobora- 
tive evidence  about  the  existence  of  such  a  work,  this 
question  must  be  left  undecided. 

As  to  the  glossary  to  the  words  of  mupn  DIDD  ("roan 
mvjpn  mD'BB  cua^x)129  it  can  be  stated  with  certainty 
that  it  never  formed  a  separate  work.  It  is  a  very  brief 
commentary,  and  extends  over  half  a  page.  It  was  the 
system  of  Hefes  to  give  an  explanation  of  the  difficult 
words  that  occurred  in  the  biblical  or  rabbinic  passages 
that  he  quoted.  Such  '  commentaries '  are  found  in  our 
fragment.130  It  is  to  the  credit  of  Steinschneider  that  he 
recognized  this  commentary  as  an  extract  from  the  Book 
of  Precepts.131  This  conjecture  is  now  indisputably  verified. 

It  is  unlikely  that  Hefes  is  the  author  of  the  glossary 
to  the  Halakot  Gedolot  (j'anb  fbtt  }*KE&K)  which  is  mentioned 
in  a  Genizah  fragment  containing  lists  of  Hebrew  and 
Arabic  books.132  We  know  that  Hefes  was  no  admirer 
of  the  author  of  that  work.  We  have  the  testimony  of 
Ibn  Balcam  and  Maimonides  that  Hefes  severely  criticized 
the  method  of  the  author  of  the  Halakot  Gedolot,  and  he 
would  have  had  little  reason  to  help  to  popularize  that 
work,  unless  we  assume  that  he  wrote  the  glossary  in  the 
early  part  of  his  life,  while  he  was  still  under  the  influence 
of  that  great  codifier. 

129  It  has  been  printed  in  its  entirety  by  Horowitz  in  nisSin  fil33  JV3 } 
II,  pp.  63  ff. 

130  See  fols.  27  b  and  293. 

131  Arabische  Literatur  der  Juden,  §  62. 

132  See  Poznanski,  fXITp   'BUN,  p.  27,  note  2. 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  43 

Two  anonymous  works  on  Halakah  have  been  ascribed 
to  Hefes  without  any  justification.  Part  of  a  halakic 
Midrash  was  published  by  Dr.  J.  M.  Freimann  under 
the  tide  Tnim,  Hefes  Alluf  being  given  as  the  author.133 
This  assumption  rests  on  faulty,  though  ingenious,  com- 
binations. The  identity  of  the  book  itself  cannot  be 
established  with  certainty,  and  there  is  not  a  particle  of 
evidence  to  justify  any  connexion  with  Hefes.  There  is 
accordingly  no  need  to  compare  that  book  with  the  Book 
of  Precepts  in  order  to  show  the  difference  of  method 
adopted  in  this  work.  Indeed,  Freimann  himself  saw  the 
weakness  of  his  position,  and  in  his  preface  to  the  second 
volume  admits  that  his  assumption  is  full  of  serious  diffi- 
culties.134 Nevertheless  he  allowed  the  name  of  Hefes  to 
appear  as  the  author.  The  statement  of  Freimann  that 
Hefes  lived  after  the  author  of  the  Midrash  Hashkem  l35 
rests  on  a  misunderstanding  of  the  passage  from  Samuel 
b.  Jam"s  nD'nfc?  JTD^n.  Freimann  had  this  passage  in  a 
Hebrew  translation  which  was  very  vague.  Samuel  b. 
Jam"s  words  do  not  in  the  least  connect  Hefes  with  the 
author  of  that  book.  He  merely  gives  a  certain  opinion 
about  no-un,  and  then  remarks  pan  n  Kru^D  (!)  n^K  flpnohl  *m 
^t  *fuKt  This  is  the  way  which  Hefes  Alluf  entered,  that  is 
to  say,  Hefes  expressed  the  same  opinion.136 

The  other  book  is  that  which  is  known  under  the 
title  of  nurepen  ISO.  Rapoport  at  first  ascribed  it  to  R. 
Hanan'el.137  But  having  been  confronted  with  a  number 

133  His  reasons  for  this  identification  are  given  in  his  preface,  I,  §  3. 

134  Chapter  V,  towards  the  end. 
las  Preface,  vol.  I,  §  4,  end. 

136  See  Steinschneider  in  Geiger's  Zeitschrift,  II,  p.  77 ;  ibid.,  XI,  p.  94 ; 
Hebr'dische  Bibliographic,  1869,  p.  133  ;  ibid.,  1873,  p.  4. 

137  See  his  biography  of  R.  Hanan'el,  note  36. 


44          HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

of  difficulties,  he  was  obliged  to  give  up  that  view,  and 
subsequently  transferred  the  authorship  to  Hefes.138  He 
even  goes  to  the  extent  of  suggesting  that  the  niy^PDH  IDD 
was  part  of  the  Book  of  Precepts,  and  dealt  with  civil  law. 
The  name  niyvpD  is  accordingly  an  allusion  to  the  talmudic 
passage  in  which  it  is  stated  that  he  who  wishes  to  be 
wise  should  occupy  himself  with  civil  law,  for  there  is  no 
branch  of  the  law  greater  than  that.139  There  is  apparently 
some  support  for  this  view  in  the  fact  that  one  of  the 
quotations  from  the  niyvpcn  "IDD  actually  occurs  in  the 
fragment  of  the  Book  of  Precepts  which  has  been  preserved. 
Thus  it  is  said  in  Piske  Recanate,  464 :  V\  n"-n  «|*n  lana 
aina  pi  Y'y:^  o^sm  ny  rri>  pnao  ^aaa  Dip  pau  pxi  a"yNi 
niyvpon  "isoa.  The  same  opinion  is  expressed  by  Hefes 
who  gives  a  more  detailed  description  of  the  procedure : 
X-IM  Dnsnta  DrWfi  pyop  ^y  plan  Nnynox  }«  KCKB 
mm  ^N->B^  ps  *a  nao  "mnoi^te  nnno  n^aa  i?i  %B  xini'Ni 
pDva^K  Ti^n  non  fN3oi>N  ^nx  nxpn  ooin  ^KT^»  p«  "ra 
tnn&fi  I^T  i>up  |y  pyoty  xasn  JNS  niNn!?N  IKDT^N.  //" 
Reuben  complained  against  Simeon^  the  Judge  must  compel 
Reuben  to  satisfy  Simeon.  The  amount  wherewith  he  is  to 
satisfy  him  is  not  fixed  as  it  is  in  Palestine  ;  but  it  might  be 
determined  by  some  of  the  respectable  people  of  the  town  in 
accordance  with  the  circumstances  of  the  two  litigants.  If 
Simeon  refuses  to  comply  witJi  the  decision,  he  is  to  be 
excommunicated^  This  concurrence  of  opinion,  however, 
must  be  regarded  as  accidental,  for  a  number  of  authori- 
ties are  cited  who  rendered  the  same  decision.  In  Piske 

138  Kebusat  ffakamint,  p.  55. 

139  Baba  batra  175  b.     See  Rapoport,  op.  ct't.,  p.  58. 

140  Fol.  zb,  11.  12 ff.     The  case  treated  of  is  as  follows:  Simeon  owes 
Reuben  some  money  which  is  in  the  category  of  fate,  and  hence  cannot  be 
collected  in  Babylon. 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  4* 

•  •  t»J 

Recanate,  Alfasi,  R.  Hanan'el  and  rnyvpon  nan  are  quoted, 
while  R.  Meir  of  Rothenburg  ascribes  this  opinion  to  the 
Geonim,  Alfasi,  Natronai,  and  Hefes.141  Rapoport,  accord- 
ingly, might  have  ascribed  the  niyvpcn  "IDD  to  Natronai.142 

On  the  other  hand  the  Sefer  Hefes  which  is  frequently 
quoted  by  French  and  German  Halakists  should  be  allowed 
to  have  Hefes  as  its  author.  Although  none  of  the  quota- 
tions from  the  Sefer  Hefes  happens  to  be  preserved  in  our 
fragment,  and  there  is  thus  no  evidence  of  a  positive  nature 
for  this  identification,  there  is  no  sufficient  ground  for 
rejecting  this  obvious  connexion  of  Hefes  with  that  book. 
This  Sefer  Hefes  was  in  all  probability  the  Book  of  Precepts 
which'  the  Halakists  who  were  not  familiar  with  Arabic 
quoted  second  hand,  and  hence  the  name  of  the  author  was 
unknown  to  some  of  them.143  There  is  hardly  any  likeli- 
hood of  that  book  having  been  translated  in  its  entirety 
into  Hebrew.  For  in  that  case  its  disappearance  would 
have  been  strange  indeed. 

Two  objections  have  been  raised  against  the  identification 
of  this  book  with  the  Book  of  Precepts,  but  on  careful 
examination  they  will  be  found  to  have  no  weight.  It 
has  been  remarked  that  the  quotations  from  the  Book  of 

141  Responsa,  ed.  Prague,  250.     See  Rapoport,  op.  cit.,  p.  56. 

142  I  cannot  resist  the  temptation  of  putting  down  a  suggestion  which 
occurred  to  me,  and  might  occur  to  some  one  else,  though  I  am  perfectly 
convinced  it  is  utterly  unfounded,  and  that  is  to  consider  the  niyifpCD  "IQD 
as   a   translation   of  the  "VIKpEptf   3NH3.     The  root  yifp    is  sometimes 
synonymous  with  3Vp,  which  would  be  a  good  equivalent  for  j^3  in  some 
of  its  significations.     But,  as  in  Hebrew,  the  technical  term  is  "YIJJ^,  this 
suggestion  cannot  be  seriously  considered. 

143  Abraham  of  Lunel,  who  quotes  Hefes  in  JTlJDn,  pp.  61  a  and  67  a, 
took  the  passage  from  Isaac  ibn  Gay3*at.     Similarly,  in  Piske  Recanate,  386, 
it  is  explicitly  stated  that  the  quotation  is  borrowed  from  Alfasi.     Comp. 
especially  Judah  b.  Barzillai's  quotation  discussed  above. 


46          HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

Precepts  are  of  a  different  nature  from  those  of  the  Sefer 
Hefes^  This  is,  however,  not  borne  out  by  the  data 
at  our  disposal.  It  can  be  safely  asserted  that  all  quotations 
from  the  Sefer  Hefes,  with  the  exception  of  one  or  two 
which  will  be  presently  dealt  with,  may  have  easily  formed 
part  of  the  Book  of  Precepts.  See  especially  the  passage 
in  Or  Zarua,  III,  Piske  Baba  Kamma>  370,  where  the 
exact  meaning  of  nsn  is  determined  by  biblical  usage  of 
that  verb.  This  is  the  method  of  Hefes  throughout  his 
Book  of  Precepts. 

The  other  objection  is  based  upon  the  fact  that  Hefes 
is  supposed  to  be  quoted  in  the  Sefer  Hefes.  R.  Moses 
of  Coucy,  in  his  Sefer  Miwvot  Gadol^  says  :  pan  "IDD21 
•Tnnnp»  nmna  'ji  aw  ps^D^  psa  pan  no  jrro  rvn  ps>  mro 
jra:?  'ninsrj  pnw.  If  Hefes  was  the  author  of  the  Sefer 
Hefes,  it  is  asked,  how  is  it  possible  that  he  should  mention 
his  name  in  this  manner  ?  Rapoport,  who  anticipated  this 
objection,  suggests  an  ingenious,  though  hardly  convincing, 
solution.  Hefes,  he  says,  was  blind,  and  was  therefore 
unable  to  write.  His  pupils,  accordingly,  wrote  down  what- 
ever he  dictated  to  them,  and  subsequently  added  all  the 
customs  their  teacher  observed.  As  a  mark  of  respect 
they  called  the  book  after  their  teacher,  and  dignified  him 
with  the  title  Gaon.146  The  explanation,  however,  has 
failed  to  carry  conviction,  and  scholars  are  still  undecided. 
But  a  careful  examination  of  the  passage  in  Sefer  Miswot 
Gadol  will  not  only  do  away  with  the  objection,  but  will 
enable  us  to  use  it  as  proof  that  Hefes  was  the  author 
of  the  Sefer  Hefes.  That  R.  Moses  of  Coucy  does  not 
quote  the  passage  verbatim  is  evident  from  the  fact  that 


"«  See  Poznanski,  JKWp   ''IWN,  p.  28. 

145  Positive  precept  48,  p.  127  b.  146  Kebusat  Hakamitn,  p.  56. 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  47 

he  does  not  state  under  what  circumstances  the  marriage 
documents  are  to  be  brought.  He  only  gives  the  mode 
of  procedure,  but  does  not  say  when  this  is  to  be  done. 
Of  course  the  circumstances  are  fully  explained  in  the 
Sefer  Miswot  Gadol,  and  hence  the  reader  sees  to  what 
it  refers.  Accordingly  the  quotation  from  the  Sefer  Hefes 
is  not  in  oratio  recta,  but  in  oratio  obliqiia>  and  the  original 
words  were  Jruon  pi.  R.  Moses  of  Coucy,  wishing  to  avoid 
ambiguity,  stated  whose  custom  it  was.  For  if  he  said 
jiTJEn  pi  it  might  have  been  taken  to  mean  that  he  himself 
was  accustomed  to  do  so.  This  hypothesis  is  not  without 
foundation.  For  this  practice  in  the  case  of  a  widow  or 
divorced  woman  who  lost  her  marriage  document  is  given 
at  full  length  by  R.  Meir  of  Rothenburg  in  the  name  of  the 
Sefer  Hefes,  and  is  as  follows:  rn2NK>  ntw  pann  ^J?3  HDD 
'3  IK  'a  'wnc-i  naoin  /sas  raw  rreniiu  IN  mr^Nrm  nra'ro 
3njDn  pi  njraBai  jno  nninaa  r£  'ynui  rrnunp  *?&  nmro.147 
Here  we  have  the  same  passage  from  the  same  book  in 
oratio  recta,  but  instead  of  the  words  pK3  pan  no  3nu  iTn  ^, 
we  simply  have  3H3»n  pi.  That  the  last  two  words  were 
not  added  by  R.  Meir  of  Rothenburg  U8  is  evident  from  the 
omission  of  the  sentence  pN3  pan  no  3HU  rvn  "p.  It  thus 
becomes  quite  clear  that  R.  Moses  of  Coucy,  who  seems 
to  have  been  well  informed,  knew  that  Hefes  was  the  author 
of  the  Sefer  Hefes^  otherwise  he  could  not  have  amplified 
the  words  3H3»n  pi  in  the  manner  he  did. 

Further  support,  though  less  conclusive,  for  this  view 
is  to  be  derived   from  the  curious  fact  that  a  number  of 


147  Responsa,  ed.  Prague,  852. 

148  Indeed,  Mordekai  on  Ketubot  IX,  §  234  (ed.  Wilna),  who  quotes  this 
very  passage,  omits  these  two  words.     But  it  is  obvious  that  he  borrowed 
the  quotation  from  R.  Meir  of  Rothenburg,  and  did  not  know  where  it  ended. 


48          HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

Halakists  of  the  thirteenth  century  ascribed  this  book  to 
R.  Hanan'el.149  Rapoport  conclusively  demonstrated  that 
a  number  of  decisions  quoted  from  the  Sefer  Hefes  are 
opposed  to  those  found  in  R.  Hanan'el's  authenticated 
works.  It  was  this  consideration  that  led  Rapoport  to 
accept  the  suggestion  of  Reifmann,  anticipated  by  Fiirst, 
that  Hefes  was  the  author  of  that  book.150  Now  this 
confusion  of  authors  can  only  be  accounted  for  if  the  real 
author  of  that  book  had  the  initials  n*i,  which  were  intended 
to  stand  for  pan  m.  But  to  some  Halakists  who  were  not 
familiar  with  Arabic  this  name  was  unknown,  and  they 
therefore  took  these  letters  to  stand  for  Ttdjfl  n.  Had  not 
these  letters  been  the  initials  of  the  real  author,  the  con- 
fusion could  hardly  have  arisen. 

We  thus  have  three  arguments  in  favour  of  the  author- 
ship of  Hefes:  (i)  The  obvious  connexion  of  the  names; 
(2)  the  quotation  in  Sefer  Miswot  Gadol  and  Responsa 
of  R.  Meir  of  Rothenburg;  (3)  the  wrong  ascription  to 
R.  Hanan'el.  On  the  other  hand,  no  evidence  whatsoever 
has  been  hitherto  adduced  against  his  authorship. 

There  are,  however,  some  quotations  from  the  Sefer 
Hefes  which,  to  my  mind,  could  scarcely  have  formed  part 
of  the  Book  of  Precepts.  Thus  from  the  Or  Zarua  it 
seems  that  the  Sefer  Hefes  contained  Responsa  of  Natronai 
and  decisions  of  Paltoi  and  the  Academies.151  Now  I  have 
often  had  the  occasion  to  remark  that  Hefes  never  quotes 
post-talmudic  authorities.  Moreover,  in  some  cases  this 
work  is  called  fan  "1DD,  and  in  others  pann  "ISD.  The  latter 
occurs  in  the  passage  where  Paltoi  is  quoted.  I  therefore 

149  See  Rapoport,  R.  Hanan'el 's  Biography,  note  36. 
160  Kebusat  Hakamim,  pp.  55  ff. 
151  III,  Baba  kamma  281,  284. 


INTRODUCTION  t    THE    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS  49 

venture  to  suggest  that  there  were  two  books,  one  called 
pan  nao,  and  the  other  pann  nan.  The  former  was  the 
Book  of  Precepts,  and  meant  the  Book  by  Hefes,  while  the 
latter  was  a  collection  of  gaonic  responsa  and  decisions, 
and  was  probably  vocalized  pann  lao,  the  allusion  being  to 
Ps.  34.  13.  Later  writers  confounded  these  two  books,  and 
the  distinction  was  lost  sight  of.  We  consequently  find 
extracts  from  the  Book  of  Precepts  headed  pann 
while  a  Responsum  is  ascribed  to  the  pan  1DD.153 


Ill 
THE  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

It  is  fairly  certain  that  Hefes  b.  Yasliah's  Book  of 
Precepts  was  the  first  attempt  to  codify  the  talmudic  laws 
in  Arabic.  Indeed  it  may  claim  priority  in  giving  an 
exhaustive,  though  brief,  account  of  all  ordinances  in  a 
logical  order  in  any  language.  He  went  beyond  his  pre- 
decessors by  collecting  all  the  precepts,  and  arranging  them 
into  groups.154  Instead  of  arranging  positive  precepts  in 
one  group  and  negative  ones  in  another,  as  is  done  by 
practically  all  writers,  including  Maimonides,  he  incor- 
porates all  precepts,  positive  and  negative,  belonging  to  one 
category,  in  one  book  (/VB).  He  then  divides  them  into 
two  or  more  sections  according  to  their  subject-matter. 

152  Or  Zarua',  Baba  kamma  370.  18S  Ibid.,  281. 

154  Rapoport  (Kebusat  Hakamim,  p.  58)  states  that  Hefes  arranged  the 
precepts  without  any  order  or  logical  division,  but  divided  them  into  chapters 
in  accordance  with  the  punishments.  That  this  is  incorrect  is  easily  seen 
from  the  preserved  fragment  as  well  as  from  the  two  precepts  quoted  by 
Judah  b.  Barzillai.  The  passage  in  Maimonides's  Sefer  ha-Miswot,  p.  55,  upon 
which  Rapoport  bases  his  assertion,  does  not  in  the  least  warrant  such 
a  conclusion,  as  will  be  seen  below. 

E 


50  HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

These  sections  are  in  their  turn  subdivided  into  positive 
and  negative  precepts.  Where  necessary,  he  assigns  dif- 
ferent classes  to  precepts  that  are  obligatory  throughout 
all  ages  and  countries,  and  to  those  that  are  only  incumbent 
during  the  existence  of  the  Temple,  or  only  in  Palestine. 
It  was  a  monumental  work,  a  code  in  the  real  sense  of 
the  word,  and  contained  a  good  deal  of  material  which 
from  the  strict  point  of  view  of  the  codifier  might  have 
been  considered  irrelevant.  But  as  a  theologian  Hefes  had 
to  assign  reasons  for  every  precept.  What  other  writers 
did  in  various  treatises,  he  attempted  to  incorporate  in  one 
book.  Our  fragment,  which  consists  of  sixty-three  closely 
written  pages,  comprises  fifty  complete  precepts  and  parts 
of  two  others,  that  is  to  say,  about  fifty-one  precepts. 
Although  they  greatly  vary  in  extent,  it  will  be  readily 
granted  that  we  have  here  a  fair  sample  of  the  average 
length  of  a  precept.  We  are  thus  justified  in  assuming 
that  these  sixty-three  pages  represent  a  little  less  than  a 
twelfth  part  of  the  book,  minus  the  introduction,  so  that 
the  enumeration  and  discussion  of  the  precepts  occupied 
approximately  eight  hundred  pages.  Add  to  this  the 
introduction,  which  must  have  been  rather  lengthy,155  and 
it  is  evident  that  the  entire  book  contained  something  like 
a  thousand  pages. 

As  we  do  not  possess  Hefes's  introduction  (J^-^)  to  this 
book  we  cannot  state  with  certainty  the  reasons  that 
induced  him  to  compose  the  Book  of  Precepts.  It  is,  how- 
ever, easy  to  see  that  his  purpose  was  mainly  halakic. 
Not  being  satisfied  with  the  treatment  of  the  subject  in 
the  Halakot  Gedolot,  which  is  incomplete,  he  determined 
to  codify  the  ordinances  in  a  more  convenient  manner. 

i»  See  below. 


INTRODUCTION  :    THE    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS  51 

Furthermore,  Arabic  at  that  time  practically  supplanted 
Aramaic  as  the  vernacular  among  the  bulk  of  the  Jews, 
and  this  book  supplied  a  much-felt  need.  It  could  be 
used  by  the  layman  who  did  not  care  to  enter  into  the 
minute  discussions  of  the  Talmud,  which  was  written  in 
a  dialect  that  few  understood  in  those  days ;  while  even 
the  profound  talmudic  scholar  might  profit  by  it,  as  it 
contained  all  the  sources  upon  which  the  decisions  were 
based.  Zunz  hesitatingly  suggests  that  it  may  have  been 
directed  against  Karaitic  works  of  the  same  title  that  were 
written  at  that  time.156  But  the  absence  of  any  polemical 
allusion  militates  against  this  view.  There  is  only  one  place 
where  Hefes  refutes  the  opinion  of  another  scholar.  This 
is  in  connexion  with  the  age  when  a  girl  attains  her 
majority.157  But  as  the  dispute  turns  on  the  interpretation 
of  the  statement  of  Samuel  D'cnn  r\w  vbx  nnaa^  nnj»  pa  pN 
*n^2,  it  is  obvious  that  the  scholar  whose  view  Hefes 
refuted  was  a  Rabbanite. 

As  to  the  structure  of  the  Book  of  Precepts  we  know 
that  it  had  a  lengthy  introduction  (J^J^>)  which,  apart  from 
defining  the  author's  system  and  method,  gave  a  survey  of 
the  principles  underlying  the  biblical  and  talmudic  ordi- 
nances. Hefes  states 158  that  in  the  introduction  he  explained 
and  discussed  all  cases  where  option  was  allowed.  It  was 
in  that  part  of  the  work  that  his  strictures  on  the  author 
of  the  Halakot  Gedolot  were  expressed.  Although  neither 
Ibn  Bal'am 169  nor  Maimonides,160  from  whom  we  know 
that  Hefes  criticized  the  method  of  the  Halakot  Gedolot, 

166  Haarbriicker's  Specimen  of  Tanhum  Yerushalmi,  p.  54. 

167  Text,  fol.  22b.  1M  Fol.  17  a,  II.  17  ff! 

159  Commentary  on  Deut.  30.  2  (ed.  Fuchs). 

160  Sefer  ha-Miswot,  p.  5  (ed.  Bloch). 

E  2 


52          HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

states  in  what  part  it  occurred,  it  is  legitimate  to  assume 
that  it  found  place  in  the  introduction.  For  it  is  in  the 
introduction  to  his  Sefer  ha-Mis-wot  that  Maimonides 
criticizes  his  predecessors. 

It  is  impossible  to  say  exactly  how  many  parts  the  book 
consisted  of;  but  there  were  at  least  thirty-six  of  them, 
for  the  thirty-sixth  part  is  quoted  by  Hefes  himself.161 
In  his  treatment  of  individual  precepts  he  is  quite  methodical, 
though  monotonous.  He  practically  uses  the  same  formula 
in  every  case.  Positive  precepts  are  introduced  by  3Jin 
or  "IDKJI,  while  negative  ones  invariably  begin  with  vun, 
all  of  which  verbs  are  either  used  impersonally  or  have  ny*nt? 
as  their  subject.  In  a  comparatively  few  words  a  rhumt 
of  the  biblical  law  is  given.  He  then  goes  on  to  state  the 
ramifications  and  amplifications  added  by  the  Rabbis.  He 
always  quotes  the  passage  upon  which  his  decisions  are 
based,  first  giving  the  pentateuchal  verses  and  then  the 
rabbinic  passages.  In  this  respect  he  radically  differs  from 
Maimonides  who  does  not  reveal  his  sources. 

The  entire  range  of  tannaitic  and  amoraic  literature  is 
at  the  command  of  Hefes,  and  he  makes  ample  use  of  both 
Talmudim  and  of  all  halakic  Midrashim.  He  refers  to  the 
Tosefta,  Sifra,  Sifre,  Sifre  Zuta,  and  to  both  Mekiltas,  all  of 
which  seem  to  be  of  equal  authority  to  him.  A  curious 
instance  may  be  given  here.  The  Mishnah  in  Kelim 1G2 
records  a  controversy  between  the  schools  of  Hillel  and 
Shammai  concerning  the  defilement  of  bands  used  for 
wrapping  up  scrolls.  Shammai's  school  maintain  that  such 
bands  are  subject  to  ritual  defilement,  no  matter  whether 
they  are  embroidered  or  not,  whereas  Hillel's  school  are 
of  opinion  that  only  those  that  are  not  embroidered  are 
141  See  text,  fol.  xa  a,  I.  15.  "*  28.  4. 


INTRODUCTION  :    THE    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS  53 

susceptible  to  uncleanness.  Rabban  Gamaliel  adds  his 
opinion  that  in  both  cases  the  bands  cannot  be  defiled. 
The  Mishnah  gives  no  decision  on  this  matter,  but  the 
Tosefta  explicitly  states  that  the  matter  is  to  be  decided 
in  accordance  with  the  opinion  of  Rabban  Gamaliel.163 
Maimonides  in  his  commentary  on  the  Mishnah,164  and  in 
his  Code,165  disregarding  or  overlooking  the  Tosefta,  rejects 
Rabban  Gamaliel's  view,  and  adopts  that  of  Hillel's  school, 
as  is  usually  the  case  when  the  Hillelites  and  Shammaites 
disagree  on  a  point  of  law.  Hefes,  however,  decides  in 
accordance  with  the  opinion  of  Rabban  Gamaliel,  and 
quotes  the  passage  from  the  Tosefta  (without  indicating  the 
source,  as  is  his  custom)  as  his  authority. 

With  the  scanty  material  at  our  disposal  it  is  impossible 
to  attempt  a  reconstruction  of  this  work.  Nevertheless 
from  the  quotation  found  in  the  works  of  other  writers, 
and  from  the  numerous  allusions  in  the  preserved  frag- 
ment, we  are  able  to  glean  a  few  details  which  give  us  some 
idea  of  the  nature  and  contents  of  the  other  parts.  The 
introduction  has  already  been  referred  to  above.  The  first 
book  contained  ethical  precepts,  as  may  be  seen  from 
the  first  two  precepts  quoted  by  Judah  b.  Barzillai.  The 
numerous  references  to  this  book  show  that  it  was  of 
considerable  length.  In  it  Hefes  had  the  opportunity  of 
giving  utterance  to  his  philosophical  and  theological  specula- 
tions. This  book  also  dealt  with  the  relation  of  God  to 
man,  and  hence  some  of  the  ordinances  appertaining  to  first- 
fruits  and  heave-offerings  were  described  there.166  For  the 
same  reason  the  ethical  side  of  vows  was  discussed  in  that 
book,  and  a  principle  was  laid  down  whereby  to  know 

163  Tosefta  Kelim,  Baba  batra  6,  4.  1M  Ed.  Derenbourg,  p  217. 

1«*  Hilkot  Kelim,  22.6.  1M  See  text,  fol.  138,  1.  aa. 


54  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

what  kind  of  vows  may  be  made  nowadays,  and  which  are 
forbidden.167  It  also  pointed  out  that  the  judges  are 
obliged  to  urge  a  man  to  fulfil  his  vows,168  and  that  the 
vow  is  to  be  carried  out  during  the  time  set  for  it  ;  if  no 
time  was  set,  he  must  carry  it  out  at  the  earliest  oppor- 
tunity.169 Maimonides,  too,  preserved  a  short  sentence 
which  is  supposed  to  belong  to  the  first  book.  It  is  as 
follows :  Nr6ys  ^irv  yni  in  rosa  KnaiK  »jyo  prtaii  pant*  uruoi 
poio  Nnyca  jna  tin.  Out  of  them  are  thirty-two  cases  con- 
cerning which  He  informed  ns  that  He  who  is  blessed  and 
exalted  will  supervise  their  committal,  not  we  ;  all  of  them 
are  explicitly  stated.™  Maimonides  who  explains  this  pas- 
sage says  that  the  thirty-two  cases  are  twenty- three  persons 
who  are  punished  with  being  cut  off  (ma),  and  nine  who 
are  put  to  death  by  God.  We  thus  know  that  this  book 
treated  of  certain  transgressions  and  their  punishments. 
It  should,  however,  be  observed  that  Maimonides  does  not 
mention  Hefes  by  name  in  this  passage.  It  is  the  plausible 

187  unbya  TOP  &6  NOT  JNBT^N  Nin  »a  Kn^ya  ran  Tibx  -m^w 
^isbs  b«6«  »B  xnavy  won  npa  (&&.,  1. 19). 

168  See  text,  fol.  20  b,  1.  4.  189  Ibid.,  fol.  21  b,  1.  20. 

170  Sefer  ha-Miswot,  ed.  Bloch,  p.  55.  My  translation  of  the  last  word  is 
against  the  Hebrew  rendering  of  Ibn  Tibbon,  who  translates  pCXO  by 
D^3~iy3,  guaranteed.  Although  that  word  happens  to  have  that  signification, 
it  is  more  than  doubtful  whether  it  suits  the  context.  Moreover,  Maimonides 
explains  the  words  J1OXO  NnyO3  in  the  following  manner  :  H3N  pi  yn  H3N 
Jit  n^D^I  HT  nl|"13''.  that  He  uiho  is  exalted  explicitly  stated  that  He  would  cut 
off  one  and  put  the  other  to  death.  Here  again  Ibn  Tibbon  has  2~\y  for  JOS . 
But  where  is  the  guarantee  expressed  ?  or  what  need  is  there  for  a  guarantee  ? 
What  Hefes  said  is  that  some  punishments  are  to  be  administered  by  God 
Himself,  and  this  would  naturally  be  in  cases  where  the  Bible  states  TllDril 
or  some  other  word.  Now  ^^o  means  be  placed,  deposited,  and  hence  also 
contained  (in  the  fifth  conjugation,  which  has  a  passive  meaning).  The 
signification  he  stated  is  a  simple  development  of  he  made  it  contain  (as  the 
contents  of  a  book). 


INTRODUCTION  :    THE    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS  55 

conjecture  of  Rapoport ; 171  but  it  has  no  independent 
corroboration,  except  that  in  the  preserved  fragment  Hefes 
enumerates  twenty  actions  for  which,  according  to  tradition, 
God,  not  man,  administers  punishment.172  Then  even  if 
we  grant  that  Hefes  is  meant  by  jr&ot^K  asna  ariNV,  it  is 
not  certain  whether  the  above  quotation  is  from  the  first 
book.  Maimonides  uses  the  expression  ^V3  i>lN  »a  which  is 
not  elegant  Arabic  for  the  first  book,  and  ought  to  be 
71N7N  ?¥Q?N.  It  is  only  in  colloquial  Arabic  that  one  says 
awwal  nauba  =  '  the  first  time ',  instead  of  annauba  al-ula, 
or  better  still,  al-marra  al-ula.  Is  it  not  possible  that 
Maimonides  merely  meant  at  the  beginning  of  a  book,  as 
if  he  would  have  said  bxB  TTC  '3  ? 173  It  is  true  that  Ibn 
Tibbon  who  rendered  it  by  p^jon  nyc?a  took  the  phrase 
in  its  colloquial  sense;  but  then  it  is  quite  possible  that 
the  translator  misunderstood  the  author. 

To  the  second  book  we  have  one  allusion  by  Hefes 
himself.  From  it  we  learn  that  that  book  dealt  with 
the  acquisition  of  slaves  and  all  the  laws  appertaining 
thereto.174 

The  third  book,  part  of  which  is  preserved,  dealt  with 
the  laws  of  damages,  and  contained  four  sections.  Our 
fragment  begins  with  the  middle  of  precept  8,  section  3 

171  Kebusat  Hakamim,  p.  58. 

172  Kn&pMG  axpy  nyne^K  xmann  tb  N^ya  a  |N2  $>pjbtc  pint 
•pan  n^K  ^>a  wi>K  no^  (foi.  4a,  i.ai). 

173  The  same  usage  is  found  in  Hefes  (fol.  8  a,  1.  16),  a^X  ^Vsbx  ^1K  ^3, 
at  the  beginning  of  the  second  book. 

174  rupn  '•a  mrrw  >ta  »a  N^axe'  Nnitr  nynt^N  mn  wmtr  np 
twnn  HJD  ^  nan  jy  ^no:  a^N  ^SS^N  ^IK  ^a  ay  nay.  /  have  already 

explained  this  precept  (concerninga  man  sold  into  slavery  for  theft,Exod.  22.  z) 
satisfactorily  in  the  midst  of  my  explaining  the  law  about  the  acquisition  of 
a  Hebrew  slave,  at  the  beginning  of  the  second  book ;  I  have  thus  no  need  to 
mention  anything  here  (loc.  «'/.). 


56          HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

of  this  book.  Further  on  a  detailed  discussion  of  the 
precepts  that  are  preserved  in  this  fragment  will  be  given. 
For  the  present  I  only  wish  to  remark  that  it  seems  to  me 
that  precepts  3-8  and  10,  n  of  section  4  of  this  book  do 
not  belong  here.  All  the  other  precepts  deal  with  damages, 
while  those  just  mentioned  treat  of  sacrifices.  Considering 
the  numerous  errors  that  crept  into  our  copy  such  a  sup- 
position is  not  precluded.175  Of  course  the  reverse  may 
just  as  well  be  the  case,  that  is  to  say,  it  is  possible  that 
the  precepts  dealing  with  damages  are  misplaced  here, 
while  those  treating  of  sacrifices  are  in  their  place.  This 
alternative  suggestion  would  find  support  in  the  fact  that 
the  immediately  following  book  also  deals  with  sacrifices. 

The  fourth  book  treats  of  free-will  offerings,  vows, 
consecrations,  and  a  few  other  priestly  laws.  It  contains 
thirty-six  precepts,  which  are  divided  into  three  sections 
according  to  their  subjects. 

The  fifth  book  is  devoted  to  special  kinds  of  ritual 
defilement  resulting  from  coming  into  contact  with  dead 
bodies  or  creeping  things.  As  the  ramifications  of  these 
precepts  are  extremely  vast,  while  only  a  few  verses  are 
devoted  to  them  in  the  Pentateuch,  each  precept  extends 
over  considerable  length.  Fourteen  pages  are  taken  up  by 
the  first  two  precepts  and  a  portion  of  the  third. 

There  are  two  references  by  Hefes  to  the  sixth  book, 
and  from  them  we  learn  that  it  dealt  with  the  tithes  of 
corn,  &c.,176  and  the  various  kinds  of  blood.177  It  is  very 

176  See,  especially,  text,  fol.  8  a,  1.  u. 

176  iSs  bxa^K  'a  smruD  rrnpyoSi  (foi.  133,1. 18). 

177  ^»J[>K  »B  ta^n  vb  m  hy\  nynt?  'a  KOT^K  "sp»  TTWDI 

n^K  NB>  JN  i>5fabN  VTirb  ^N^N.  We  shall  enumerate  the  various  kinds 
of  blood  in  the  precept  'ye  shall  eat  no  blood '  in  the  book  which  follows  this  one, 


INTRODUCTION  :    THE    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS  57 

likely  that  its  main  subject  was  things  that  are  permitted 
to  be  eaten  and  those  that  are  prohibited.  Tithes  and  blood 
would  naturally  be  included  under  these  headings. 

The  tenth  book  dealt  with  various  kinds  of  blemishes 
found  in  animals,  according  to  an  allusion  to  it  by  Hefes.178 

The  fourteenth  book  is  once  referred  to,  and  we  learn 
that  its  theme  was  the  firstlings  of  animals.179 

From  the  reference  to  the  second  precept  of  the  nine- 
teenth book  it  seems  likely  that  that  book  dealt  with 
various  kinds  of  defilement.  Hefes  quotes  a  passage  from 
tractate  Nazir  dealing  with  certain  causes  of  defilement, 
and  he  then  remarks :  /  shall  explain  this  passage  in  the 
second  precept  of  the  nineteenth  book.™ 

The  thirty-sixth  book  was  similar  to  the  tenth,  and 
treated  of  blemishes  that  are  found  in  human  beings. 
According  to  the  allusion  to  it  this  book  was  specially 
devoted  to  the  elucidation  of  all  the  terms  used  for  the 
various  kinds  of  blemishes.181 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  Hefes  arranged  the  precepts 
in  a  logical  order,  but  tried  to  follow  the  Bible  as  closely 
as  possible.  The  ethical  precepts  take  precedence  of  all 
others,  for  they  are  the  mainstay  of  religion.  These 
ordinances  disposed  of,  the  author  at  once  takes  up  the 
laws  in  Exodus,  which  are  followed  by  those  of  Leviticus. 
Keeping  the  logical  arrangement  in  mind,  he  is  obliged 

please  God  (fol.  26  b,   1.  7).      As  this   remark  occurs  in  the  fifth  book  it 
obviously  refers  to  the  sixth. 

178  nc?Kj^K  bsai>K  'a  nraam&^n  me?  •'BIDDJDI.  i  shaii  complete 

the  explanation  of  this  subject  (of  blemishes)  and  similar  onts  in  the  tenth  book 
(fol.  12  a,  L  ai). 

179  n^N  bxoi'K  »B  smruoa  N^N  nnoabtn  (foi.  133,1.19). 

180  D^«  hffi&N  }D  ii>K  njns^>N  '£>  hpta  Kin  me>3Dl  (fol.aoa,  1. 16). 

181  See  text,  fol.  12  a,  1.  14. 


58  HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

to  deviate  now  and  again  from  the  biblical  order.  This 
is  naturally  unavoidable,  as  precepts  of  the  same  character 
are  found  scattered  in  two  or  more  books  of  the  Pentateuch. 
Thus  the  cardinal  precepts  of  the  fourth  book  of  Hefes's 
work  occur  in  Leviticus,  for  it  is  in  that  book  that  free-will 
offerings  are  first  mentioned  ;  but  there  are  a  few  kinds 
of  these  offerings  that  are  to  be  found  in  Numbers. 
Similarly  in  the  case  of  vows.  The  laws  appertaining  to 
a  Nazarite  are  to  be  included  in  this  category,  but  they 
occur  in  the  sixth  chapter  of  Numbers,  while  other 
ordinances  about  vows  occur  in  the  thirtieth  chapter  of 
that  book,  and  some  are  in  Leviticus. 


IV 

THE  PRESERVED  FRAGMENT  COMPARED  WITH 
MAIMONIDES 

While  giving  a  rhume  of  the  precepts  that  are  preserved 
in  this  manuscript,  I  find  it  instructive  to  compare  them 
with  those  enumerated  by  Maimonides  in  his  Sefer  ha- 
Miswot.  In  his  younger  days  Maimonides  regarded  Hefes 
as  a  reliable  authority,  and  followed  him  in  various  explana- 
tions of  the  Mishnah,  though  he  seldom  mentions  his  name. 
It  is  only  in  two  places  that  Maimonides  declares  his 
indebtedness  to  Hefes,  and  in  both  cases  he  throws  the 
responsibility  of  his  errors  upon  the  latter.  When  asked 
by  his  pupils  about  certain  statements  that  occur  in  his 
Yad  ha-Hazakah  and  do  not  harmonize  with  his  commen- 
tary, he  replies  that  the  explanations  found  in  his  Code  are 
the  correct  ones,  whereas  the  others  are  due  to  the  influence 
of  Hefes.182  This,  at  all  events,  is  sufficient  ground  for  the 
assumption  that  Maimonides  readily  borrowed  explanations 
from  the  latter. 

Book  3,  section  ^precept  8.  Only  the  end  of  this  precept 
is  preserved.  We  are  in  the  midst  of  a  lengthy  quotation 

182  pg>er  ha-Dor,  140,  142.  The  Hebrew  translation  by  Tama  is  very 
vague  and  sometimes  misleading.  See  Geiger,  D'3SH  N/D,  p.  55.  The 
Arabic  original  of  the  first  reference  is  given  by  Munk  in  his  Notice  sur 
About  Walid,  p.  198. 

59 


60  HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

from  Tosefta  Shebu'ot  i ,  8,  dealing  with  the  case  of  a  man 
who  entered  the  Sanctuary  while  ritually  unclean,  without 
being  aware  of  it.  As  the  following  precepts  show,  this 
precept  must  have  dealt  with  civil  matters,  and  it  is  hard 
to  see  for  what  purpose  such  a  quotation  was  introduced. 
It  is,  however,  possible  that  this  discussion  was  a  mere 
digression.  But  I  suspect  that  this  section  is  disarranged, 
since  in  any  case  we  have  ordinances  appertaining  to 
damages  and  sacrifices  in  one  and  the  same  section.183 

Ibidem,  precept  9.  He  who  kindled  a  fire  which  went 
forth  and  consumed  his  neighbour's  crop  or  anything  lying 
in  the  field  should  pay  full  damages.  If  the  conflagration 
was  caused  by  the  wind,  he  who  kindled  the  fire  is  free. 
It  matters  not  whether  he  kindled  the  fire  intentionally  or 
not.  If  the  fire  crossed  a  river  or  pond  which  is  eight 
cubits  wide,  or  a  public  road  which  is  sixteen  cubits  wide, 
he  is  not  obliged  to  pay  damages.  If  a  man  kindled  a  fire 
in  his  own  yard  and  the  flame  or  sparks  flew  over  and 
consumed  something  in  his  neighbour's  yard,  it  is  necessary 
to  investigate  and  see  whether  the  fire  as  intended  by  him 
who  kindled  it  was  sufficiently  strong  to  go  over  to  the 
neighbour's  yard  or  not.  In  the  former  case  he  is  to  pay 
for  the  damages,  but  not  in  the  latter.  As  to  the  distance 
a  fire  is  apt  to  cross  while  the  wind  blows,  Tosefta  Baba 
kamma  6,  22  is  quoted.  If  while  consuming  a  barn  the 
fire  also  destroyed  something  which  is  customarily  placed 
there,  he  who  kindled  it  is  obliged  to  pay  for  it. 

This  corresponds  to  Maimonides,  positive  precept  241, 
where  three  lines  are  devoted  to  it,  reference  being  made 
to  Baba  kamma. 

Ibidem,  section  4*1, precept  i.     If  an  ox  which  is  not  in 

183  See  above,  chapter  III. 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    AND    MAIMONIDES  6l 

the  habit  of  goring  gores  a  man  to  death,  the  ox  shall  be 
stoned,  and  its  flesh  shall  not  be  eaten ;  but  the  owner  of 
the  ox  shall  be  free.  Thrusting,  biting,  crushing,  and 
kicking  are  included  in  the  category  of  goring.  Beasts 
of  prey,  or  otherwise,  and  birds  are  to  be  treated  like  an  ox. 
If  the  owner  of  the  ox  sold  or  consecrated  it,  before  it  was 
put  on  trial,  the  action  is  valid  ;  after  that,  the  action  is  not 
valid.  It  is  unfit  for  a  sacrifice  ;  it  must  therefore  be  sold, 
and  the  price  thereof  is  to  be  used  for  repairing  the  Temple. 
If  the  ox  was  trained  to  gore,  it  is  not  to  be  killed,  and 
is  fit  for  a  sacrifice.  It  is  prohibited  to  derive  any  benefit 
from  the  body  of  an  ox  that  was  stoned. 

Maimonides  divides  this  precept  into  two :  positive 
precept  237,  merely  stating  that  we  are  commanded  to 
adjudicate  the  case  of  a  goring  ox,  and  negative  precept  188, 
dealing  with  the  prohibition  of  eating  the  flesh  of  a  stoned 
ox.  Hefes  regards  these  two  as  one  precept,  because  they 
are  the  consequences  of  one  deed. 

Ibidem,  precept  2.  If  the  ox  was  in  the  habit  of  goring, 
the  owner  having  been  warned  to  guard  it,  and  it  killed 
a  man,  the  ox  is  to  be  stoned,  and  the  owner  is  worthy  of 
death  at  the  hands  of  God.  The  owner  should  also  pay 
ransom,  which  should  be  fixed  by  arbitration.  An  ox  put 
in  this  category  is  one  which  gored  on  three  consecutive 
days.  The  owner  must  be  warned  in  the  presence  of  the 
judges.  In  case  the  ox  is  unmanageable,  it  must  be 
slaughtered.  The  court  is  to  compel  the  owner  of  the  ox 
to  satisfy  his  litigant.  Tradition  tells  us  that  there  are 
twenty  crimes  whose  punishment,  which  is  not  mentioned 
in  Scripture,  is  to  be  meted  out  by  God.  The  different 
laws,  depending  upon  the  ownership  of  the  place  where  the 
accident  of  goring  took  place,  are  minutely  described  in  the 


62  HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

name  of  R.  Simeon  (Tosefta  Baba  kamma  i ,  6).  The  proof 
that  these  two  precepts  do  not  apply  to  our  times  is  to  be 
found  in  Sanhedrin  2  a,  Shabbat  153,  and  Berakot  58  a. 

Maimonides  does  not  count  this  precept  separately.  He 
obviously  includes  it  in  the  preceding,  not  differentiating 
between  tarn  and  mifad.  He  no  doubt  rejects  this  as 
a  separate  precept  in  accordance  with  principle  7  which  he 
laid  down  in  his  introduction  to  his  Sefer  ha-Miswot?M 
The  key-note  of  that  principle  is  that  the  developments  and 
ramifications  of  a  precept  must  not  be  counted  separately.185 
He  goes  on  to  explain  at  length  that  the  various  cases 
under  one  heading  must  not  be  mistaken  for  precepts,  even 
if  the  Pentateuch  enumerates  them  separately. 

Ibidem,  precept  3.  If  the  congregation  of  Israel  erred 
unwittingly,  and  the  thing  was  hidden  from  the  eyes  of  the 
assembly ;  when  their  sin  becomes  known  unto  them,  they 
are  to  offer  a  young  bullock  for  a  sin-offering  and  bring  it 
before  the  tent  of  meeting.  The  rites  are  to  be  carried  out 
in  accordance  with  Lev.  4.  13-21.  By  the  words  the 
congregation  of  Israel  the  judges  of  the  first  rank  are  meant. 
The  words  and  the  thing  was  hidden  imply  that  part  of 
a  law,  not  the  entire  law,  was  broken.  The  transgression 
must  be  such  that,  if  committed  wittingly,  the  transgressor 
would  be  cut  off  from  his  people,  that  is  to  say,  his 
punishment  would  be  ma. 

This  corresponds  to  Maimonides,  positive  precept  68, 
where  reference  is  made  to  Horayot  and  Zebahim. 

Ibidem,  precept  4.  If  a  king  sinned,  and  did  unwittingly 
a  forbidden  thing  ;  when  his  sin  becomes  known  unto  him, 
he  shall  bring  a  goat,  a  male  without  blemish.  The  rites 

184  Ed.  Bloch,  pp.  21-6. 

186  fijnnr&W  nps  %'  IN  ^aa"  vh  (P.  21). 


INTRODUCTION  I    HEFES    AND    MAIMONIDES  63 

are  to  be  carried  out  in  accordance  with  Lev.  4.  22-6. 
It  is  necessary  that  he  himself  should  become  aware  of  his 
sin.  This  sacrifice  is  specially  prescribed  for  a  king.  If  he 
transgressed  while  being  king,  and  was  deposed  in  the 
meantime,  before  he  brought  the  sacrifice,  he  is  to  bring  it 
afterwards,  as  though  he  were  still  king. 

Maimonides  does  not  count  this  precept  separately,  and 
he  obviously  includes  it  in  the  following.  Here  again,  as 
in  the  case  of  precept  3,  4  a,  2,  principle  7  would  bar  this 
precept  from  being  reckoned  separately. 

Ibidem,  precept  5.  If  a  layman  transgresses  unwittingly, 
and  subsequently  becomes  aware  of  his  transgression,  he 
should  bring  for  his  oblation  a  goat,  a  female  without 
blemish.  The  rites  are  to  be  performed  in  accordance  with 
Lev.  4.  27-35.  This  ordinance  applies  also  to  a  member' 
of  the  court  of  justice  who  acted  on  his  own  decision.  If, 
however,  he  acted  on  the  decision  of  the  court,  he  is  not 
obliged  to  bring  the  sacrifice.  The  transgressor  is  to  bring 
the  sacrifice  only  in  the  case  when  he  committed  the  deed 
alone  ;  but  if  the  deed  was  committed  by  more  than  one 
person,  there  is  no  need  to  bring  an  offering. 

This  corresponds  to  Maimonides,  positive  precept  69, 
where  reference  is  made  to  Horayot,  Keritot,  Shabbat, 
Shebu'ot,  and  Zebahim. 

Ibidem,  precept  6.  A  man  who  commits  a  sin  without 
knowing  it,  must  bring  a  ram  without  blemish  for  a  trespass- 
offering.  The  rites  are  to  be  performed  in  accordance 
with  Lev.  5.  17-19.  Tradition  tells  us  that  this  sacri- 
fice applies  to  a  man  in  whose  presence  were  two  kinds  of 
food,  one  of  which  was  forbidden :  he  ate  one  kind  and 
knows  not  which  it  was  ;  or  to  a  man  in  a  similar  case  of 
doubt.  If  he  subsequently  realized  that  he  had  trans- 


64  HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

gressed,  he  should  bring  a  trespass-offering  ;  but  if  he  is 
still  in  doubt,  he  brings  a  suspended  trespass-offering.  If, 
however,  after  bringing  a  suspended  trespass-offering  (before 
it  was  slaughtered)  he  realized  that  he  transgressed,  or 
became  sure  that  he  did  not  transgress,  it  is  necessary  to 
delay  the  slaughtering  of  the  animal.  It  must  be  allowed 
to  graze  until  it  contracts  a  blemish,  so  that  it  might  be 
sold,  and  for  the  price  thereof  another  animal  be  bought 
and  sacrificed  as  a  free-will  offering. 

This  corresponds  to  Maimonides,  positive  precept  70, 
where  the  case  is  explained  as  by  Hefes  and  reference  is 
made  to  Keritot. 

Ibidem,  precept  7.  If  the  congregation  of  Israel  erred 
by  worshipping  idols,  they  should  bring  a  young  bullock 
for  a  burnt-offering  and  a  he-goat  for  a  sin-offering.  The 
rites  are  to  be  performed  in  accordance  with  Num.  15. 
22-6.  This  precept,  like  precept  3  of  this  section,  applies 
to  the  judges.  The  proof  that  this  transgression  is  in 
connexion  with  idolatry  is  to  be  found  in  Sifre,  p.  31  b, 
(ed.  Friedmann). 

Maimonides  does  not  count  this  precept  separately, 
according  to  principle  7,186and  he  obviously  includes  it  in  68. 

Ibidem,  precept  8.  One  person  who  sins  unwittingly  by 
worshipping  idols  should  bring  a  she-goat,  a  year  old,  for 
a  sin-offering.  The  rites  are  to  be  performed  in  accordance 
with  Num.  15.  27-8.  The  proof  that  this  transgression 
is  in  connexion  with  idolatry  is  to  be  found  in  Sifre,  p.  32  b. 

This  precept,  too,  is  not  counted  separately  by  Maimo- 
nides, according  to  principle  /,187  and  he  includes  it  in  69. 

Ibidem,  precept  9.     A  man  who  stole  something,  and  is 

188  See  the  preceding  two  notes,  and  the  page  to  which  they  refer. 
187  See  above,  notes  184,  185,  and  the  page  to  which  they  refer. 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    AND    MAIMONIDES  65 

unable  to  restore  the  stolen  property  and  its  double,  or  the 
value  thereof,  to  its  owner,  shall  be  sold  for  his  theft. 

Maimonides  does  not  count  this  precept  separately, 
according  to  principle  7,188  and  he  obviously  includes  it  in 
positive  precept  239,  which  deals  with  theft. 

Book  3.  section  4  b,  precepts  i  and  2.  He  who  is  com- 
manded to  bring  a  tenth  of  an  ephah  of  fine  flour  in  con- 
nexion with  certain  sacrifices  is  forbidden  to  pour  oil  or 
put  frankincense  upon  it.  The  prohibition  against  pouring 
oil  is  one  precept,  and  the  prohibition  against  putting 
frankincense  is  another.  Tradition  tells  us  that  this  prohi- 
bition is  only  against  that  part  which  is  to  be  offered  up, 
but  the  priest  may  pour  oil  or  put  frankincense  upon  the 
remainder.  If  he  put  frankincense  on  the  part  that  is  to  be 
offered  up,  he  may  remove  it.  This  naturally  does  not 
apply  to  oil,  which  cannot  be  removed. 

Maimonides,  too,  counts  these  two  precepts  separately. 
They  correspond  to  negative  precepts  102,  103,  where 
Menahot  59  b  is  quoted  in  order  to  prove  that  these  two 
precepts  are  to  be  reckoned  separately.  The  reason  why 
Hefes  treats  of  these  two  precepts  in  one  paragraph  is 
because  they  are  derived  from  one  verse. 

Book  4  deals  with  sacrifices  which  are  offered  freely  ;  it 
is  explained  that  it  is  forbidden  for  a  man  who  is  not  of  the 
seed  of  Aaron  to  offer  up  sacrifices  upon  the  altar  ;  it 
further  treats  of  vows,  consecration  of  property,  estimation 
of  lives,  and  similar  subjects.  It  contains  thirty-six  pre- 
cepts, which  are  divided  into  three  sections.  The  first 
section  treats  of  animal  sacrifices,  and  does  not  apply  to 
our  times.  This  section  is  subdivided  into  two  subsections  : 
one  containing  ten  positive  precepts,  and  the  other  com- 

188  See  above,  notes  184,  185,  and  the  page  to  which  they  refer. 

F 


66  HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

prising  eight  negative  precepts.  The  second  section 
contains  seven  precepts  dealing  with  meal-offerings,  and  is 
also  inapplicable  to  our  times.  It  is  subdivided  into  two 
subsections :  one  containing  five  positive  precepts,  and  the 
other  comprising  two  negative  precepts.  The  third  section 
consists  of  eleven  precepts  concerning  the  consecration  of 
property  and  the  estimation  of  lives,  and  is  subdivided  into 
two  subsections :  one  containing  eight  precepts,  five  positive 
and  two  negative,  which  do  not  apply  to  our  times,  and 
the  other  comprising  three  positive  precepts  which  are 
obligatory  throughout  all  ages. 

Book  4,  section  i  a,  precept  i.  He  who  freely  offers  a 
burnt-offering  of  the  herd  is  commanded  to  bring  a  male 
without  blemish.  The  rites  are  to  be  performed  in  accord- 
ance with  Lev.  i.  3-9.  He  has  to  be  present  while  the 
animal  is  offered  up.  The  slaughtering  may  be  performed 
by  anybody,  including  women  and  slaves,  provided  they 
are  ritually  clean.  The  offering  up,  however,  must  be  done 
by  priests.  Details  of  the  procedure  are  given  in  accordance 
with  tractate  Tamid. 

This  corresponds  to  Maimonides,  positive  precept  63, 
where  the  whole  subject  is  disposed  of  in  a  few  lines. 

Ibidem^  precept  2.  He  who  freely  offers  a  burnt-offering 
of  the  flock  is  commanded  to  bring  a  male  without  blemish. 
The  rites  are  to  be  performed  in  accordance  with  Lev.  i. 
10-13. 

Maimonides,  according  to  principle  7,180  does  not  count 
this  and  the  following  precepts  separately,  but  includes 
them  in  the  preceding  precept. 

Ibidem,  precept  3.  He  who  freely  offers  a  burnt-offering 
of  birds  is  commanded  to  bring  turtle-doves  or  young 

189  See  above,  notes  184,  185,  and  the  page  to  which  they  refer. 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    AND    MAIMONIDES  67 

pigeons.  The  rites  are  to  be  performed  in  accordance 
with  Lev.  i.  14-17.  Turtle-doves  are  fit  for  this  oblation 
only  when  they  become  yellow,  while  young  pigeons  cease 
to  be  fit  as  soon  as  they  become  yellow.  The  priest  must 
sever  the  head  from  the  body  in  the  manner  described  in 
Tosefta  Korbanot  7.  4. 

Ibidem,  precept  4.  We  are  commanded  to  bring  our 
burnt-offerings,  sacrifices,  tithes,  heave-offerings,  vows,  free- 
will-offerings, and  the  firstlings  of  our  herd  and  flock  unto 
the  special  place. 

Maimonides  counts  this  section  of  the  Bible  as  three 
positive  precepts  (83,  84,  85)  and  one  negative  (89). 
Positive  precept  83  of  Maimonides  is  slightly  different,  but, 
as  he  derives  it  from  the  same  verse,  this  precept  of  Hefes 
may  be  regarded  as  covering  it  entirely. 

Ibidem,  precept  5.  He  who  brings  a  peace-offering  must 
bring  the  fat  with  the  breast  upon  his  hand  that  it  may  be 
waved  before  the  Lord.  The  rites  are  to  be  performed  in 
accordance  with  Lev.  7.  30,  31.  The  waving  must  be  done 
towards  all  directions. 

Maimonides  does  not  count  this  separately,  according  to 
principle  I2,190  and  he  obviously  includes  it  in  positive 
precept  66. 

Ibidem^  precept  6.  It  is  commanded  that  the  various 
kinds  of  fat  of  a  peace-offering  of  the  flock  should  be  offered 
upon  the  altar.  The  rites  are  to  be  performed  in  accordance 
with  Lev.  3.  9-11.  If  one  who  brought  a  peace-offering 
thought  that  it  was  a  firstling  or  tithe,  this  thought  dis- 
qualifies the  sacrifice.  But  if  while  slaughtering  a  firstling 

190  This  principle  says  that  the  parts  of  a  ceremony  in  connexion  with 
a  precept  must  not  be  counted  separately  :  NO  riyjOX  NT  JN  fyn  JN 

y  M  b  «na  IIDND  (ed.  Bioch,  PP.  47-50). 

F  2 


68          HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

or  tithe  he  intended  it  to  be  a  peace-offering,  the  sacrifice 
is  not  thereby  disqualified. 

This  precept,  too,  is  included  by  Maimonides  in  positive 
precept  66.  It  is  not  counted  separately,  in  accordance 
with  principle  I2.191 

Ibidem,  precept  7.  It  is  commanded  that  we  bring  fine 
flour,  wine,  and  oil  when  we  offer  lambs,  rams,  or  young 
bullocks  as  burnt-offerings,  or  sacrifices  to  accomplish  a  vow, 
or  free-will  offerings.  The  libation  is  not  necessary  for  all 
sacrifices,  but  only  for  some  of  them. 

This  precept  is  also  omitted  by  Maimonides,  in  accord- 
ance with  principle  I2.192 

Ibidem,  precept  8.  If  the  animal  brought  as  an  oblation 
has  a  blemish,  it  can  only  be  brought  as  a  gift,  but  must 
not  be  offered  for  a  vow.  The  various  terms  mentioned  in 
Lev.  22.  23  are  explained  in  accordance  with  Bekorot  40  a. 
Such  an  animal  must  be  sold,  and  the  price  thereof  used 
for  repairing  the  Temple. 

Maimonides  does  not  count  this  as  a  precept,  because 
that  verse  in  Leviticus  really  prohibits  the  offering  of 
animals  with  blemishes.  The  permission  to  use  it  for  a 
free-will  offering  cannot  be  regarded  as  a  separate  precept 
according  to  principle  7.103 

Ibidem,  precept  9.  A  free-will  offering  and  an  oblation 
brought  in  fulfilment  of  a  vow  must  be  eaten  on  the  day 
when  it  was  sacrificed  and  on  the  morrow. 

Maimonides  does  not  count  this  separately,  according  to 
principle  y.193 

Ibidem,  precept  10.     He  who  brings  a  thank-offering  is 

191  See  preceding  note. 

192  See  note  190. 

193  See  above,  notes  184,  185,  and  the  page  to  which  they  refer. 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    AND    MAIMONIDES  69 

commanded  to  bring  unleavened  cakes  mingled  with  oil, 
and  unleavened  wafers  anointed  with  oil,  and  cakes  mingled 
with  oil  of  fine  flour  soaked,  and  cakes  of  leavened  bread. 
He  must  bring  ten  pieces  of  each  kind,  all  of  which  amount 
to  forty.  The  quantity  of  oil  is  half  a  log. 

Maimonides  omits  this  precept  according  to  principle 

I2.19* 

Book  4,  section  i  b,  precept  I.  He  who  sacrifices  a 
thank-offering  must  not  leave  the  flesh  thereof  until  the 
morning  of  the  third  day,  but  he  must  eat  on  the  day  when 
it  was  sacrificed  and  on  the  night  of  the  second  day. 
Tradition  tells  us  that  he  must  not  eat  of  this  sacrifice  after 
midnight  of  the  second  day  in  order  to  avoid  a  transgression. 

This  corresponds  to  Maimonides,  negative  precept  131, 
which  is  of  a  much  wider  scope. 

Ibidem,  precept  2.  It  is  prohibited  to  sacrifice  an  animal 
that  is  blind  or  has  any  other  blemish  mentioned  in 
Lev.  22.  22.  The  various  blemishes  are  described  and 
explained  in  accordance  with  Bekorot  41  a,  43  a,  44  a. 

Maimonides  has  three  negative  precepts  about  sacrificing 
an  animal  with  a  blemish :  92  forbids  the  slaughtering  ; 
93  forbids  the  sprinkling  of  the  blood  ;  94  forbids  the 
burning  of  the  limbs.  He  derives  these  precepts  from 
Lev.  22.  22-24  as  explained  in  Sifra. 

Ibidem,  precepts  3  and  4.  It  is  forbidden  to  offer  up  an 
animal  that  is  castrated  or  has  any  other  blemish  mentioned 
in  Lev.  22.  24.  These  blemishes  are  explained  in  accord- 
ance with  Bekorot  39  b,  Tosefta  Yebamot  10.  5,  and  Sifra. 
It  is  forbidden  to  castrate  a  human  being  or  an  animal. 
Tosefta  Makkot  4.  6  is  quoted  to  explain  all  cases. 

194  See  above,  note  190. 


70  HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

Maimonides  omits  precept  3  according  to  principle  y,195 
and  obviously  includes  it  in  the  preceding.  Precept  4 
corresponds  to  Maimonides,  negative  precept  361. 

The  reason  why  Hefes  groups  these  two  precepts 
together  in  one  paragraph  is  because  they  are  both  derived 
from  one  verse. 

Ibidem ,  precept  5  and  6.  It  is  forbidden  to  bring  for  an 
oblation  the  hire  of  a  harlot  and  the  wages  of  a  dog.  The 
explanation  of  hire  and  wages  is  given  in  accordance  with 
Temurah  29  a.  If  two  partners  had  a  certain  number  of 
cattle  and  one  dog,  and  they  divided  them  into  two  parts 
equal  in  the  number  of  the  heads,  the  part  without  the  dog 
is  forbidden,  for  one  of  them  corresponds  to  the  dog  in  the 
other  part,  and  is  hence  the  exchange  of  a  dog.  But  the 
share  containing  the  dog  is  not  forbidden.  The  offspring  of 
the  hire  of  a  harlot  or  the  wages  of  a  dog  is  qualified  for 
a  sacrifice. 

Maimonides,  quite  inconsistently,  reckons  these  two 
cases  as  one  precept  (negative  precept  100). 

These  two  precepts  are  again  grouped  by  Hefes  in  one 
paragraph,  because  they  are  derived  from  one  verse. 

Ibidem,  precept  7.  It  is  forbidden  to  exchange  an 
animal  which  has  been  prepared  for  a  sacrifice  for  another. 
If  such  a  thing  took  place,  both  animals  are  holy  unto  the 
Lord.  If  the  offspring  or  exchange  was  exchanged,  the 
other  animal  does  not  become  holy  thereby.  Under  no 
circumstances  must  the  animal  be  exchanged,  even  if  the 
first  animal  had  a  blemish,  while  the  second  was  sound. 
He  must  not  exchange  one  animal  for  a  hundred  animals 
and  vice  versa.  Even  if  the  exchange  was  done  uninten- 
tionally, the  other  animal  becomes  holy. 

195  See  above,  notes  184,  185,  and  the  page  to  which  they  refer. 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    AND    MAIMONIDES  71 

This  corresponds  to  Maimonides,  negative  precept  106 
where  reference  is  made  to  Temurah. 

Ibidem,  precept  8.  It  is  forbidden  that  we  should  eat 
outside  the  special  place  the  tithes  of  grain,  of  new  wine, 
or  of  oil,  or  the  firstlings  of  the  flock  or  the  herd,  or  vows, 
or  free-will  offerings,  or  heave-offerings.  Tithes  will  be 
explained  in  the  sixth  book,  firstlings  in  the  fourteenth  book  ; 
vows  of  all  description  were  dealt  with  in  the  first  book, 
and  will  be  further  treated  of  in  this  book. 

Maimonides  counts  this  as  eight  separate  negative 
precepts  (141,  142,  143,  144,  145,  146,  147,  149),  thus 
reckoning  each  case  separately.  It  is  quite  impossible  to 
assume  that  Hefes  enumerated  these  cases  separately  in 
the  other  books  to  which  he  refers,  for  no  trace  of  them  is 
found  in  the  present  book  where  vows  are  dealt  with. 

Book  4,  section  2  a,  precept  i .  He  who  brings  an  oblation 
of  a  meal-offering  of  fine  flour  is  commanded  to  pour  oil 
upon  it  and  put  frankincense  thereon.  The  rites  are  to  be 
performed  in  accordance  with  Lev.  2.  i,  2.  The  flour  must 
not  weigh  less  than  seven  hundred  and  twenty  drachmae, 
and  the  oil  not  less  than  one  hundred  drachmae.  There 
are  ten  kinds  of  meal-offerings  from  which  a  handful  is  to 
be  taken,  and  all  of  them  are  enumerated  in  Menahot  72  b. 
The  measure  of  a  handful  (kemisaJi)  is  the  width  of  three 
fingers,  that  is  to  say,  the  hand  without  the  thumb  and 
pointer. 

This  corresponds  to  Maimonides,  positive  precept  67, 
which  is  of  a  more  general  character.  Reference  is  there 
made  to  Menahot. 

Ibidem,  precept  2.  He  who  brings  an  oblation  of  a 
meal-offering  baked  in  the  oven  is  commanded  to  bring 
unleavened  cakes  of  fine  flour  mingled  with  oil,  or  un- 


72  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

leavened  wafers  anointed  with  oil.  He  has  the  choice  of 
bringing  either  cakes  or  wafers.  The  oil  is  to  be  smeared 
in  the  shape  of  a  semi-circle. 

Maimonides  does  not  count  this  and  the  following  two 
precepts  separately,  according  to  principle  7-196  He  includes 
them  in  the  preceding  precept. 

Ibidem,  precept  3.  He  who  brings  an  oblation  of  a  meal- 
offering  of  the  baking-pan  is  commanded  to  bring  it  of  fine 
flour,  unleavened,  mingled  with  oil ;  he  should  part  it  in 
pieces,  and  pour  oil  thereon.  The  word  mn»  is  explained 
in  accordance  with  Menahot  63  a  and  Sifra.  Each  piece 
must  be  of  the  size  of  an  olive. 

Ibidem,  precept  4.  He  who  brings  an  oblation  of  a  meal- 
offering  of  the  frying-pan  is  commanded  to  make  it  of  fine 
flour  and  oil.  The  word  n'^mo  is  explained  in  accordance 
with  Menahot  63  a. 

Ibidem,  precept  5.  It  is  obligatory  to  salt  sacrifices. 
Only  the  part  which  is  actually  offered  up  should  be  salted, 
not  the  entire  sacrifice.  Thick  salt  is  to  be  used,  so  that  it 
should  not  dissolve  quickly. 

Maimonides  makes  two  precepts  out  of  this  one :  posi- 
tive precept  62,  which  corresponds  to  this,  and  negative 
precept  99,  which  is  a  prohibition  against  offering  up 
a  sacrifice  without  salt.  He  refers  to  Menahot  and 
Zebahim. 

Book  4,  section  2  b,  precept  i.  It  is  forbidden  to  burn 
leaven  or  honey  as  an  offering.  By  honey  is  meant  dates. 
If  the  slightest  quantity  of  honey  or  leaven  was  mingled 
with  anything  that  is  to  be  offered  up,  that  part  becomes 
disqualified,  according  to  Sifra. 

This  corresponds  to  Maimonides,  negative  precept  98, 

196  See  above,  notes  184,  185,  and  the  page  to  which  they  refer. 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    AND    MAIMONIDES  73 

where  a  reason   is  given   why  honey  and   leaven  are  not 
counted  separately. 

Ibidem,  precept  2.  It  is  prohibited  that  one  who  is  not 
of  the  seed  of  Aaron  should  associate  with  priests  in  matters 
wherein  they  are  considered  superior  to  all  other  men. 

This  corresponds  to  Maimonides,  negative  precept  74. 

Book  4,  section  $  A  a,  precept  I.  A  man  who  vows  his 
person  unto  the  Lord  should  give  as  his  value  in  accordance 
with  Lev.  27.  2-7.  If  he  is  poor,  he  should  pay  as  much 
as  he  can  afford.  There  is  a  difference  between  making 
a  vow  and  promising  a  value.  Thus  if  a  man  says  :  '  I  vow 
the  price  of  my  hand  ',  the  judge  should  estimate  the  excess 
in  value  of  a  slave  who  has  a  hand  over  one  who  lacks 
a  hand.  But  if  he  says  :  '  I  promise  to  give  the  value  of 
my  hand',  he  need  not  give  anything.  If  he  vowed  one 
of  his  vital  members,  as,  for  instance,  his  heart  or  head,  he 
must  pay  for  his  entire  body.  If  he  vowed  the  price  of 
a  child  a  month  old,  but  did  not  pay  until  more  than  five 
years  elapsed,  he  need  only  pay  the  value  of  the  child  at 
the  time  when  the  vow  was  made.  If  he  says  :  '  I  vow  half 
of  my  value ',  he  is  to  pay  half  of  his  value  ;  if,  however, 
he  says :  '  I  vow  the  value  of  half  of  my  body ',  he  is  to 
pay  all  his  value.  A  poor  man  must  not  pay  less  than 
a  sela'.  If  after  having  paid  a  sela'  he  became  rich,  he  need 
not  pay  any  more.  But  if  he  possessed  less  than  a  sela', 
and  subsequently  became  rich,  he  is  to  pay  the  value  of 
a  rich  man. 

This  corresponds  to  Maimonides,  positive  precept  114, 
where  a  few  lines  are  devoted  to  the  entire  subject,  reference 
being  made  to  tractate  'Arakin. 

Ibidem,  precept  2.  A  man  who  consecrates  his  house 
unto  the  Lord  is  commanded  to  have  it  estimated  by  the 


74  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

priest,  and  in  case  he  wants  to  redeem  it,  must  pay  its  value 
with  the  addition  of  the  fifth  part  of  the  estimation.  This 
ordinance  refers  to  a  dwelling-house  according  to  Sifra. 

This  corresponds  to  Maimonides,  positive  precept  116. 

Ibidem,  precept  3.  A  man  who  vowed  an  unclean  beast, 
which  may  not  be  offered  as  a  sacrifice,  unto  the  Lord, 
should  have  it  placed  before  the  priest,  who  should  estimate 
its  value ;  in  case  the  former  owner  wishes  to  redeem  it,  he 
should  pay  its  value  with  the  fifth  part  of  the  estimation. 
By  an  unclean  animal  is  meant  one  which  is  disqualified  on 
account  of  a  blemish,  and  does  not  refer  to  unclean  species 
of  animals.  Our  teachers  declare  that  it  is  forbidden  to 
sanctify,  vow,  or  consecrate  anything  nowadays. 

This  corresponds  to  Maimonides,  positive  precept  115. 

Contrary  to  his  custom,  Hefes  disregarded  here  the 
biblical  order,  and  placed  the  consecration  of  a  house  before 
the  vowing  of  an  unclean  animal.  It  is,  however,  not  un- 
likely that  the  transposition  is  due  to  a  scribal  error. 
Maimonides  follows  in  this  case  the  biblical  arrangement. 

Ibidem,  precept  4.  A  Nazarite  who  unwittingly  became 
defiled  by  a  dead  body  is  commanded  to  shave  his  head 
on  the  seventh  day,  and  to  bring  two  turtle-doves,  or  two 
young  pigeons,  to  the  priest,  to  the  door  of  the  tent  of 
meeting.  If  the  seventh  day  happens  to  be  Sabbath  or  a 
Festival,  he  must  postpone  his  shaving.  He  has  the  option 
of  bringing  turtle-doves  or  pigeons.  He  has  to  bring  the 
sacrifice,  because  he  did  not  sufficiently  guard  himself  against 
defilement.  He  is  to  commence  counting  again  the  days 
of  his  separation  from  the  day  when  he  shaved  his  head. 

Maimonides  counts  this  precept  and  the  following  one 
as  one  precept,  positive  precept  93.  He  explicitly  states 
that  these  two  shavings  must  not  be  counted  separately, 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    AND    MAIMONIDES  75 

since  the  shaving  after  defilement  is  a  legal  development  of 
the  ordinances  appertaining  to  a  Nazarite,  and  hence  is  to 
be  excluded  by  principle  7.197 

Ibidem,  precept  5.  When  the  days  of  a  Nazarite's 
separation  are  fulfilled,  he  is  commanded  to  bring  as  his 
oblation  a  he-lamb  a  year  old  without  blemish  for  a  burnt- 
offering,  a  ewe-lamb  a  year  old  without  blemish  for  a  sin- 
offering,  and  a  ram  without  blemish  for  a  peace-offering,  and 
a  basket  of  unleavened  bread,  cakes  and  wafers,  mingled 
with  oil ;  and  the  meal-offerings  and  libations  appertaining 
to  them.  These  ordinances  apply  to  a  man  who  vows  to 
be  a  Nazarite  for  a  definite  period,  not  to  a  perpetual 
Nazarite.  As  for  the  cakes  and  wafers,  he  must  bring  ten 
of  each.  It  is  stated  that  he  must  put  some  of  the  meat 
upon  his  hair,  and  throw  them  together  into  the  fire.  He 
must  wave  the  offering  towards  the  six  directions. 

This  corresponds  to  Maimonides,  positive  precept  93. 

Book  4,  section  $Abt  precept  i.  It  is  prohibited  for 
a  Nazarite  to  eat  grapes,  fresh  or  dried,  to  drink  anything 
made  thereof,  or  to  eat  the  husk  or  kernel.  Even  unripe 
grapes  are  forbidden.  There  is  a  difference  between  the 
word  jsa  and  D"O,  the  former  specifies  only  various  kinds 
of  vines,  while  the  latter  embraces  also  olive-trees.  The 
leaves  of  a  vine  are  not  forbidden  to  a  Nazarite.  If  a 
Nazarite  drank  twenty-five  drachmae  of  wine,  he  must  be 
flogged.  He  is  to  be  flogged  for  wine  separately  and  for 
grapes  separately. 

Maimonides  counts  this  section  of  the  Pentateuch  as  five 
negative  precepts  :  202,  a  Nazarite  must  not  drink  wine  ; 
203,  he  must  not  eat  grapes  ;  204,  he  must  not  eat  dried 
grapes  ;  205,  he  must  not  eat  the  kernels  of  grapes  ;  206,  he 

197  See  above,  notes  184,  185,  and  the  page  to  which  they  refer. 


76  HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

must  not  eat  the  husk  of  grapes.  He  explains  the  reason 
why  he  counts  them  as  five  separate  precepts,  because  the 
transgressor  is  flogged  separately  for  each  transgression. 

Ibidem,  precept  2.  It  is  prohibited  for  a  Nazarite  to 
shave  his  head.  Our  teachers  say  that  the  shortest  period 
of  separation  is  thirty  days.  If  a  man  says:  'I  shall  be 
a  Nazarite  for  as  many  days  as  the  hair  of  my  head,  or 
grains  of  sand,  or  dust ',  he  is  to  remain  a  Nazarite  for  the 
rest  of  his  life.  If  he  says  :  '  I  shall  be  a  Nazarite  like  the 
number  of  the  days  of  the  year',  he  is  to  be  a  Nazarite 
thirty  days  for  each  day  of  the  year.  He  must  not  cut  his 
hair  with  a  razor  or  any  other  instrument.  If  some  of 
his  hair  fell  out  because  he  rubbed  or  scratched  that  place, 
there  is  no  sin  upon  him.  If  a  plague  of  leprosy  appears 
on  his  head,  he  must  shave  his  hair  when  he  gets  purified, 
even  before  the  days  of  his  separation  are  fulfilled.  Thirty 
days  are  to  be  discounted  from  the  days  which  he  observed 
as  a  Nazarite.  These  ordinances  apply  to  a  man  who  vowed 
to  be  a  Nazarite  for  a  definite  period,  but  not  to  a  perpe- 
tual Nazarite.  The  commandment  that  a  Nazarite  should 
grow  his  hair  naturally  refers  to  one  who  has  hair  ;  if  he  is 
bald-headed,  he  must  observe  the  other  ordinances  apper- 
taining to  a  Nazarite.  Even  if  the  words  which  he  uttered 
only  hint  at  separation,  and  do  not  explicitly  express  it,  he 
must  become  a  Nazarite.  If.  however,  they  merely  hint  at 
a  hint  of  separation,  he  need  not  become  a  Nazarite. 

Maimonides  counts  this  precept  as  two  :  negative  precept 
209,  where  the  entire  subject  is  referred  to  tractate  Nazir, 
and  positive  precept  92,  which  asserts  that  the  Nazarite 
must  let  his  hair  grow.  He  quotes  a  passage  from  Mekilta 
which  explicitly  states  that  there  is  a  negative  and  positive 
precept  in  this  connexion.  Thus,  if  a  Nazarite  destroyed 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    AND    MAIMONIDES  77 

his  hair  with  a  powder,  the  negative  precept  would  not  be 
transgressed  by  him,  since  he  used  no  instrument;  he, 
however,  transgressed  the  positive  precept,  which  enjoins 
him  to  grow  his  hair. 

Ibidem,  precept  3.  It  is  forbidden  for  a  Nazarite  to  enter 
into  the  presence  of  a  dead  body.  He  may,  however, 
attend  to  the  burying  of  a  dead  body  that  was  found  on 
the  road  where  no  other  man  is  present.  He  must  not 
come  in  contact  with  the  blood  of  a  dead  body,  if  the  blood 
weighs  fifty  drachmae,  or  with  a  part  of  a  dead  body  of  the 
size  of  an  olive.  The  laws  of  a  Nazarite  are  not  applicable 
to  our  times. 

This  corresponds  to  two  negative  precepts  of  Maimo- 
nides :  207  and  208.  He  reckons  the  defilement  through 
coming  in  contact  with  a  dead  body  as  one  precept,  and 
the  entrance  into  the  house  where  a  dead  body  is  lying  as 
another.  He  quotes  tractate  Nazir  42  b,  which  shows  that 
two  prohibitions  are  involved. 

Book  4,  section  $B,  precept  I.  He  who  makes  a  vow 
must  fulfil  it.  The  judges  are  to  urge  him  to  fulfil  his  vow. 

This  corresponds  to  Maimonides,  positive  precept  94, 
which  is  rather  of  a  more  general  character. 

Ibidem,  precept  2.  A  man  who  makes  a  vow  or  swears 
an  oath  to  bind  himself  with  a  bond  is  commanded  not  to 
profane  his  word,  but  must  do  all  that  proceeded  out  of 
his  mouth.  A  boy  of  average  intelligence  must  fulfil  his 
vow,  though  he  is  only  twelve  years  and  one  day  old.  But 
if  his  intelligence  is  below  the  average,  the  fulfilment  of  the 
vow  is  not  incumbent  on  him.  Under  that  age  he  need 
not  fulfil  his  vow  in  any  case.  If  an  intelligent  boy  of 
thirteen  years  and  one  day  old  made  a  vow,  and  afterwards 
claimed  that  he  had  no  conception  of  the  meaning  of  a  vow, 


78  HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

he  is  obliged  to  fulfil  it.  It  matters  not  whether  the  oath 
is  explicitly  expressed  or  merely  hinted  at.  An  oath  is 
only  valid  when  it  makes  a  man  abstain  from  doing  a 
permitted  thing,  but  it  cannot  render  permissible  anything 
that  is  forbidden.  His  oath  can  have  no  effect  upon 
restraining  others.  If  he  made  an  oath  to  perform  an 
impossible  task,  he  is  to  be  flogged.  If  he  vowed  not  to 
eat  a  certain  food,  because  it  is  harmful,  and  it  is  found  to 
be  beneficial  to  him,  his  vow  is  not  valid.  One  who  vows 
not  to  dwell  in  a  house,  even  the  garret  is  forbidden  unto 
him.  One  who  vows  not  to  eat  meat,  the  liver,  spleen,  and 
entrails  are  thereby  forbidden.  He  must  fulfil  his  vow  at 
the  earliest  opportunity,  and  if  he  specified  a  certain  time, 
he  must  observe  it  before  that  time  expires.  The  expres- 
sion, he  shall  not  profane  his  word,  implies  that  he  may 
have  his  vow  annulled  by  some  one  else,  but  he  himself, 
though  he  is  a  sage,  must  not  annul  his  vow. 

The  gist  of  this  precept  is  included  by  Maimonides  in  the 
preceding  (positive  precept  94).  He,  however,  has  a  separate 
precept  which  permits  the  absolution  of  vows.  This  is 
positive  precept  95,  which  is  based  on  Num.  30.  3.  Apart 
from  this  positive  precept  he  has  negative  precept  157, 
which  is  a  prohibition  against  the  breaking  of  one's  word. 
Nahmanides 198  agrees  with  Hefes  in  counting  Deut.  23.  24 
and  Num.  30.  3  separately. 

Ibidem,  precept  3.  This  precept  deals  with  the  vows  of 
women  whether  they  attained  the  age  of  puberty  or  not. 
They  are  divided  into  five  classes : 

(i)  If  a  girl  in  her  father's  house,  who  has  not  attained 
the  age  of  puberty  and  is  not  married,  uttered  a  vow  and 
her  father  heard  it  and  did  not  protest,  her  vow  is  valid.  If, 

198  See  his  rmS'H  to  Maimonides's  Jm'EH  12D 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    AND    MAIMONIDES  79 

however,  he  protested  on  the  day  when  he  heard  it,  her  vow 
is  annulled.  As  soon  as  a  girl  is  twelve  years  and  one  day 
old,  her  vows  are  valid,  and  there  is  no  need  to  examine  her 
intelligence,  unless  her  mind  is  known  to  be  defective.  A 
girl  who  is  eleven  years  old,  or  less  than  that,  can  make  no 
vows.  During  her  twelfth  year  it  is  necessary  to  examine 
her  intelligence :  if  it  is  sound,  her  vow  is  valid,  and  her 
father  has  the  privilege  of  annulling  it ;  if  her  intelligence 
is  defective,  her  vow  is  not  valid.  A  girl,  twelve  years  and 
one  day  old,  of  average  intelligence,  who  claims  that  she 
did  not  know  the  purpose  of  the  vow,  and  is  therefore 
unwilling  to  fulfil  it,  is  obliged  to  carry  out  all  that  pro- 
ceeded from  her  mouth.  On  the  other  hand,  a  girl  eleven 
years  old  who  claims  that  she  understands  all  about  a  vow, 
need  not  fulfil  it.  If  her  father  thought  at  first  that  the 
vow  was  made  by  some  one  else,  and  subsequently  realized 
that  it  was  his  daughter,  he  may  annul  the  vow  as  soon  as 
he  learns  this  fact. 

(2)  If  a  betrothed  girl  makes  a  vow,  her  fiance  may 
annul  it  on  the  day  he  hears  of  it.     If  he  did  not  protest, 
her  vow  must  be  fulfilled.     That  the  verses  Num.  30.  7-9 
refer  to  a  betrothed  girl,  not  to  a  married  woman,  is  ex- 
plicitly stated  in  Sifre.     If  a  man  married  a  woman  who 
had  a  long-standing  vow  which  causes  him  pain,  he  may 
divorce  her  without  giving  her  any  money  promised  in  her 
marriage  document.     A  man  may  say  to  a  woman  at  the 
time  of  marrying  her  :  '  I  annul  all  thy  vows.'     The  vows 
of  a  betrothed  girl  who  has  not  attained  the  age  of  puberty 
must  be  annulled  by  her  father  and  fiance^     As  soon  as 
she  attains  the  age  of  puberty,  her  father  has  no  right  to 
annul  her  vows. 

(3)  As  for  a  married  woman,  the  laws  appertaining  to 


8o  HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

her  vows  are  identical  with  those  of  a  betrothed  girl.  The 
vows  a  husband  may  annul  are  such  which  cause  him 
mental  or  bodily  pain.  If  a  father  or  husband  did  not 
know  that  God  permitted  him  to  annul  the  vows  of  his 
daughter  or  wife,  and  subsequently  learned  this  fact,  he 
may  annul  a  long-standing  vow  on  that  day.  If  she  vowed 
not  to  eat  a  certain  thing  for  a  month,  and  he  permitted 
her  to  eat  thereof  for  a  week,  her  vow  becomes  automati- 
cally void.  If  she  vowed  not  to  eat  of  two  kinds  of  food, 
and  he  permitted  her  to  eat  of  one  kind,  she  may  also  eat 
of  the  other  kind  ;  similarly,  if  he  confirmed  her  vow  with 
regard  to  one  kind,  it  is  confirmed  also  with  reference  to  the 
other  kind ;  provided  the  two  kinds  were  included  in  one 
vow.  If  a  man  wanted  to  annul  the  vow  of  his  daughter, 
and  it  happened  that  it  was  his  wife  who  made  that  vow, 
but  he  mistook  her  for  his  daughter,  the  vow  does  not 
thereby  become  void.  He  may,  however,  annul  it  after- 
wards, if  he  so  desires.  The  same  applies  to  the  case  when 
his  daughter  made  a  vow,  and  he  mistook  her  for  his  wife. 
If  he  heard  of  the  vow  on  the  Sabbath  day,  he  must  use 
different  words  in  annulling  it.  He  should  say  to  her :  '  Eat 
this  which  you  vowed  not  to  eat.'  While  saying  these 
words,  he  must  mentally  annul  her  vow.  The  expression 
used  by  a  husband  in  annulling  the  vows  of  his  wife  are 
different  from  those  employed  by  a  sage. 

(4)  A  widow  and  (5)  a  divorced  woman  have  to  fulfil  all 
their  vows.  This  refers  only  to  women  whose  marriage 
was  consummated.  If  a  widow  or  a  divorced  woman  made 
a  vow  which  should  take  effect  after  thirty  days,  and  mean- 
while she  married,  her  husband  cannot  annul  it.  On  the 
other  hand,  if  while  married  she  made  a  vow  which  should 
take  effect  after  thirty  days,  and  her  husband  annulled  it, 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    AND    MAIMONIDES  8l 

she  need  not  fulfil  it,  even  in  case  she  was  divorced  or 
became  a  widow  during  that  time.  If  a  widow  has  a 
brother-in-law,199  he  may  annul  her  vows,  but  not  if  she 
has  two  brothers-in-law. 

Maimonides  does  not  count  this  as  a  separate  precept, 
in  accordance  with  principle  7,200  and  he  includes  it  in  the 
preceding  precept. 

Book  5,  precept  i.  One  who  came  in  contact  with  the 
carcasses  of  unclean  animals  and  beasts  is  obliged  to  be 
unclean  until  sunset.  If  he  carried  a  carcass,  he  and  his 
garments  become  unclean.  After  having  a  bath  and  after 
being  washed,  he  and  his  garments  are  to  remain  unclean 
until  sunset.  It  matters  not  whether  he  touched  the  entire 
carcass  or  only  part  thereof.  Even  if  he  carried  the 
carcass  by  means  of  another  object,  his  garments  become 
unclean.  If  the  carcass  was  upon  a  vessel,  under  which  lay 
some  food  or  drink,  the  latter  do  not  become  denied.  The 
law  imposed  upon  him  to  remain  unclean  until  sunset  is 
only  to  prevent  him  from  coming  in  contact  with  sacred 
things.  Aquatic  animals,  with  the  exception  of  the  sea-dog, 
do  not  defile. 

This  corresponds  to  Maimonides,  positive  precept  96. 
He  explains  that  in  calling  this  a  precept  he  does  not  mean 
that  it  is  necessary  to  become  defiled ;  nor  is  it  forbidden 
to  become  defiled,  otherwise  this  would  be  a  negative  pre- 
cept. It  merely  tells  us  the  ordinances  to  be  observed 
when  a  man  becomes  defiled. 

It  is  to  be  observed  that  Maimonides,  like  Hefes,  places 
the  laws  of  uncleanness  immediately  after  those  appertain- 
ing to  vows. 

199  In  the  Levirate  law. 

200  See  above,  notes  184,  185,  and  the  page  to  which  they  refer. 

G 


82  HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

Ibidem,  precept  a.  One  who  comes  in  contact  with  the 
carcasses  of  the  eight  creeping  things  must  be  unclean  until 
sunset.  A  part  of  the  flesh  of  these  animals  defiles,  as  well 
as  the  entire  body,  provided  it  is  not  smaller  than  the  size 
of  a  lentil.  Anything  smaller  than  that  size  having  flesh 
and  bone  combined  is  also  defiling.  In  this  case  it  makes 
no  difference  whether  the  part  was  severed  while  the  animal 
was  alive  or  dead.  If  a  rat  which  is  created  from  the  earth 
had  already  flesh  and  skin  on  one  part,  while  the  remainder 
was  joined  by  the  skin,  and  it  was  able  to  move  about, 
it  defiles  one  who  comes  in  contact  with  it.  Aquatic 
animals  belonging  to  this  species  do  not  defile.  The 
garments  of  him  who  came  in  contact  with  these  animals 
are  not  unclean. 

This  corresponds  to  Maimonides,  positive  precept  97, 
which  is  disposed  of  in  a  few  lines. 

Ibidem,  precept  3.  Any  vessel  or  instrument  upon 
which  one  of  the  eight  creeping  things  fell  while  dead  is  to 
be  unclean  ;  it  must  be  dipped  in  water,  and  remain  unclean 
until  sunset.  These  vessels  are  such  as  are  fit  for  the  work 
for  which  they  were  intended.  The  difficult  words  occur- 
ring in  the  tannaitic  passages  quoted  in  this  connexion  are 
briefly  explained.  Vessels  are  divided  into  two  classes: 
(i)  those  which  have  a  receptacle  containing  air  ;  (2)  those 
which  are  of  a  flat  surface  and  contain  no  air.  In  both 
classes  are  vessels  which  are  subject  to  defilement  and  those 
which  are  not.  Vessels  not  subject  to  defilement,  though 
they  have  receptacles,  are  sacred  vessels,  and  those  that 
cannot  be  moved  when  filled  with  the  things  for  which  they 
were  made.  Children's  toys  are  not  subject  to  defilement, 
though  they  can  be  carried  when  filled.  If,  however,  these 
toys  are  durable,  they  are  subject  to  defilement.  A  num- 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    AND    MAIMONIDES  83 

ber  of  other  cases  are  mentioned  and  passages  quoted. 
The  difficult  words  occurring  in  these  passages  are  briefly 
explained.  All  other  vessels  which  have  receptacles,  not 
mentioned  in  the  foregoing,  are  subject  to  defilement.  The 
minimum  measure  of  a  garment  subject  to  defilement  is 
given  for  various  cases  in  accordance  with  Kelim  27.  5  and 
other  tannaitic  passages.  If  a  garment  smaller  than  the 
minimum  measure  was  completed,  and  a  piece  of  material 
subject  to  defilement  was  added  to  it.  the  entire  garment 
may  be  defiled  only  in  the  case  when  the  attached  piece  is 
of  material  subject  to  a  stricter  defilement  than  the  other. 
If  an  unclean  vessel  decreased  in  size,  and  another  vessel 
was  made  of  the  material,  it  remains  unclean  only  in  the 
case  when  it  can  be  used  for  the  work  for  which  it  was 
originally  made.  Vessels  of  a  flat  surface,  not  containing 
air,  which  are  not  subject  to  defilement  are  wooden  vessels 
which  are  only  used  directly,  and  are  not  a  means  of  using 
other  vessels.  If  their  usage  is  indirect,  they  are  subject  to 
defilement.  A  number  of  instances  belonging  to  this  class 
are  mentioned. 

Maimonides  does  not  count  this  precept  separately. 
He  evidently  includes  it  in  the  preceding  precept,  accord- 
ing to  principle  7.201  The  only  surprising  thing  is  that  he 
counts  the  laws  appertaining  to  the  defilement  of  food  and 
drinks  as  a  separate  precept  (98). 

The  following  tabular  recapitulation  of  the  above  dis- 
cussion will  show  at  a  glance  the  relation  of  the  two 
systems  in  enumerating  precepts.202 

201  See  above,  notes  184,  185,  and  the  page  to  which  they  refer. 

202  The  first  number  refers  to  the   book  (7JfB),   second  to  the  section 
(DDp),  the  letters  to  the  subsections,  and  the  third  number  to  the  precept. 
The  abbreviation  p.p.  =  positive  precept,  and  n.p.  =  negative  precept.  Where 
only  two  numbers  occur  there  are  no  subsections. 

G  2 


84 


HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 


Hefes  Maimonides 

4,  ib,  7  =  n.  p.  106 

4,  ib,8  =  n.p.    141,    142, 

143.  J44,  145, 
146,  147,  149 

4,2a,i  =  p.p.  67 
4,2a,2 


4,  2a,5  =  p.  p.  62,  n.p.  99 

4,  2b,  i  =  n.  p.  98 

4,2b,2  =  n.  p.  74 
4,3Aa,i  =  p.p.  114 
4,3Aa,  2  =  p.p.  116 
4,3Aa,3  =  p.p.  115 


Hefes          Maimonides 

3>  3.  9  =  P-  P-  24i 

3>4a,  i  =  p.p.  237,n.p.i88 

3>4a,2 

3>4a,3  =  p.  p.  68 

3,4a,4 

3»4a,5  =  p.p.  69 

3,43,6  =  p.p.  70 

3>4a,  8 

3>4a,9 

3,4b,  i  =  n.p.  102 

3,4b,2  =  n.p.  103 

4,  i  a,  i  =  p.  p.  63 

4,  i  a,  2 

4,  i  a,  3 

4,  i  a,  4  =  p.  p.  83,  84,  85, 

n.  p.  89 
4,  i  a,  5      . 
4,  i  a,  6 

4,  i  a,  7 

4,  i  a,  8 

4,  i  a,  9 

4,  i  a,  10 

4,  ib,  i  =  n.p.  131 

4,  ib,2  =  n.  p.  92,93,  94 

4,  ib,  3 

4,ib,4  =  n.p.  361 

4,ib,5) 

,    J=  n.p.  100 
4,  ib,6j 

We  thus  see  that  out  of  the  fifty-one  precepts  (the  first 
of  our  fragment  is  not  considered,  because  it  is  impossible 


4,3Aa,5  =  P-P-93 
4,3Ab,  i  =n.p.    202,    203, 
204,  205,  206 

4,  3Ab,  2  =  n.p.  209:p.p.92 
4,3Ab,3  =  n.p.  207,208 

4,3s.1  =  P-P-94 
4,36,2  =  p.p.  95 
157 

4,3B»3 

5,  i  =  p.  p.  96 

5,2  =  p.p.  97 
5>3 


n.p. 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    AND    MAIMONIDES  85 

to  ascertain  what  it  dealt  with)  Hefes  and  Maimonides  agree 
on  thirty.  Out  of  the  twenty-one  precepts  counted  sepa- 
rately by  Hefes,  but  omitted  by  Maimonides,  twenty  can  be 
accounted  for  by  two  of  the  principles  laid  down  by  the 
latter.  Sixteen  are  excluded  by  principle  7,203  while  four 
(4,  i  a,  5  ;  4,  i  a,  6  ;  4,  i  a,  7  ;  4,  i  a,  10)  are  omitted  by  prin- 
ciple i2.2(H  The  remaining  precept  which  Maimonides 
counts  as  one  (n.  p.  100),  whereas  Hefes  reckons  it  as  two 
(4,  i  b,  5  ;  4,  i  b,  6),  is  the  prohibition  against  offering  the 
hire  of  a  harlot  or  the  wages  of  a  dog  upon  the  altar.  This 
case  must  be  put  down,  I  think,  to  the  inconsistency  of 
Maimonides. 

To  make  up  for  these  twenty-one  precepts,  Maimonides 
has  twenty-one  other  precepts  which  are  not  counted 
separately  by  Hefes.  It  is  true  that  we  cannot  be  certain 
about  a  few  of  them,  for  they  may  have  been  placed  in 
another  part  of  the  book.  This  is,  however,  unlikely,  for 
Hefes,  according  to  his  method  of  presentation,  would  not 
have  neglected  to  inform  us  of  that  fact.  Moreover,  prac- 
tically in  every  case  we  were  able  to  see  the  reason  of  the 
discrepancy. 

As  a  result  of  this  examination  it  may  be  stated  that 
there  are  three  fundamental  differences  between  the  systems 
employed  by  Hefes  and  Maimonides,  respectively. 

(i)  The  various  ramifications  and  hypothetical  cases  of 
a  certain  group  of  laws,  provided  they  are  explicitly  men- 
tioned in  the  Pentateuch,  are  counted  separately  by  Hefes, 
whereas  Maimonides  regards  them  all  as  one  precept.  The 
latter  emphatically  differentiates  between  a  law  (BStJ'E)  and 


103  See  above,  notes  184,  185,  and  the  page  to  which  they  refer. 
204  See  above,  note  190. 


86  HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK   OF  PRECEPTS 

precept  (nWD).205  Principle  7,  in  which  this  point  is  clearly 
brought  out,  seems  to  have  been  chiefly  directed  against 
Hefes.200  This  principle  was  sometimes  broken  also  by 
Maimonides  himself.  He  felt  the  inconsistency,  and  when 
he  counts  certain  precepts  which  should  have  been  excluded, 
he  defends  himself  by  saying  that  in  the  Talmud  or  in 
a  halakic  Midrash  it  is  explicitly  regarded  as  a  separate 
precept.  But  then  this  proves  that  according  to  the  Talmud 
this  principle  is  not  valid. 

(2)  Hefes  does  not  count  contraries  twice.  He  either 
reckons  it  as  a  negative  or  positive  precept.  Thus  since 
a  Nazarite  is  prohibited  to  shave  his  head,  there  is  no  need 
to  reckon  as  a  positive  precept  that  he  is  commanded  to 
let  his  hair  grow.  If  a  sacrifice  must  be  salted,  there  is  no 
need  to  count  as  a  negative  precept  that  it  is  forbidden  to 
offer  up  a  sacrifice  without  salt.  Maimonides,  on  the  other 
hand,  counts  them  separately.  It  is  chiefly  for  this  reason 
that  in  the  part  which  we  have  discussed  in  detail  Maimo- 
nides has  more  negative  precepts  than  Hefes.  In  counting 
such  a  case  as  a  positive  or  negative  precept  the  latter  is 
mainly  guided  by  the  context  of  the  Pentateuch,  but  he 
probably  was  also  influenced  by  circumstances,  and  put  the 
precept  in  the  category  he  required.  It  should  be  stated 

205  Sefer  ha-Miswot,  ed.  Bloch,  p.  25. 

206  While  reading  Pe'erha-Dor,  140,  where  Maimonides  designates  Hefes 
as  pyin  3JT)3,  I  was  led  to  believe  that  there  was  an  intentional  slur  in 
that  title,  as  one  would  say,  that  Halakist  is  a  good  codifier,  '  a  writer  of 
laws ',  but  is  not  sufficiently  logical  to  enumerate  the  precepts.    Fortunately, 
however,  Munk  (Notice  sur  Aboit'l  Walid,  p.  198)  quotes  the  Arabic  original 
from  a  manuscript  which  is  now,  I  believe,  in  the  hands  of  D.  Simonsen  of 
Copenhagen.     There   Maimonides   calls  Hefes  '  the  author  of  the    Book 
of  Precepts'  (jt-jjjJl   ujLii    ^^Lo).      It   is   only  in  Tama's  inaccurate 

Hebrew  translation  that  the  words  pJHil  3JTI3  were  supposed  to  cover 
that  expression. 


INTRODUCTION  :    HEFES    AND    MAIMONIDES  87 

that  Hefes  is  not  quite  consistent  in  this  respect.  Thus  he 
counts  as  a  positive  precept  that  we  are  commanded  to 
bring  our  burnt-offerings,  sacrifices,  vows,  free-will  offerings, 
and  the  firstlings  of  our  herd  and  flock  unto  the  special 
place.207  But  practically  the  same  thing  is  reckoned  as 
a  negative  precept :  it  is  forbidden  to  eat  outside  the  special 
place  the  tithes  of  grain,  or  of  new  wine,  or  of  oil,  or  the 
firstlings  of  the  flock  or  the  herd,  or  vows,  or  free-will 
offerings,  or  heave-offerings.208  This  inconsistency  is, 
however,  due  to  the  circumstance  that  the  Pentateuch  stated 
both  cases,  the  positive  and  the  negative,  explicitly.209 
Maimonides,  on  the  other  hand,  is  not  guided  by  the 
Pentateuch  in  this  matter. 

(3)  Hefes  never  makes  use  of  a  verse  or  set  of  verses 
more  than  once.  It  is  only  in  extremely  rare  cases  that  he 
derives  two  precepts  from  one  verse,  and  then  there  are 
usually  two  clauses  in  that  verse.210  In  such  cases  he 
groups  the  precepts  together  in  one  paragraph.  Maimo- 
nides, however,  derives  sometimes  as  many  as  eight  precepts 
from  one  and  the  same  verse.211 

In  general  it  may  be  stated  that  Hefes  follows  the 
Pentateuch  division  very  closely.  If  a  certain  law  is  repeated 
twice,  it  must  be  counted  separately,  especially  as  tradition 

207  Book  4,  section  i  a,  precept  4  (text,  fol.  zoa,  1.  n). 

208  Book  4,  section  i  b,  precept  8  (text,  fol.  133,  1. 15). 

209  Deut.  12.  5,  6  and  12.  17. 

210  See,  for  instance,  book  3,  section  4  b,  precepts  i  and  2  (text,  fol.  8  a, 
.  17),  where  two  negative  precepts  are  derived  from  the  two  clauses  in 

Lev.  5.  ii.  Similarly,  book  4,  section  i  b,  precepts  3  and  4  (text,  fol.  123, 
1. 16)  are  derived  from  Lev.  22.  24.  An  exception  to  this  rule  is  book  4, 
section  i  b,  precepts  5  and  6  (text,  fol.  12  b,  1.  7),  where  two  precepts  are 
derived  from  one  clause. 

211  Thus  negative  precepts  141,  142,  143,   144,  145,  146,   147,  149  are 
derived  from  Deut.  12.  17. 


88  HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

usually  makes  the  various  paragraphs  apply  to  different 
cases.  Maimonides,  on  the  other  hand,  while  taking  the 
Pentateuch  as  his  basis,  is  guided  by  logical  principles  in 
the  system  of  enumerating  the  precepts.  Indeed,  one  may 
even  go  as  far  as  to  reduce  the  above  three  differences  to 
this  one  only. 

From  the  purely  logical  point  of  view  the  charge  of 
inconsistency  might  with  justice  be  brought  against  both 
Halakists.  Maimonides,  as  was  remarked  above,  pointed 
out  that  Hefes  had  committed  the  same  errors  for  which 
he  had  censured  the  author  of  the  Halakot  Gedolot.212  The 
former  in  his  turn  did  not  escape  the  stricture  of  subsequent 
Halakists  like  Nahmanides  and  Isaac  of  Corbeil,  the  author 
of  P"CD,  neither  of  whom  can  be  accused  of  being  hostile 
to  him  on  general  principles.  The  inconsistencies  are  quite 
natural  in  a  subject  which  has  no  basis  in  reality.  For, 
although  the  Tannaim  and  Amoraim,  as  was  pointed  out 
above,213  believed  that  six  hundred  and  thirteen  precepts 
had  been  revealed  to  Moses,  the  writers  or  redactors  of  the 
Pentateuch  had  certainly  no  inkling  of  this  number. 


THE  STYLE  OF  THE  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

The  language  of  the  Book  of  Precepts  is  in  the  usual 
style  of  Jewish-  Arabic,  and  shares  most  of  its  characteristics. 
In  dealing  with  manuscripts  which  are  not  autographs,  but 
copies  of  the  third  or  fourth  hand,  one  is  at  a  loss  to  deter- 
mine which  mistakes  emanated  from  the  author,  and  which 
are  to  be  ascribed  to  the  ignorance  of  the  copyist.  The 
latter,  however,  cannot  always  be  made  the  scapegoat,  and 

212  Sefer  ha-Mt'swot,  p.  5,  ed.  Bloch.  21S  Chapter  I. 


INTRODUCTION  :    THE    STYLE  89 

it  is  a  striking  fact  that  almost  all  texts  contain  the  same 
kind  of  mistakes.  Even  the  oldest  manuscripts  show  the 
usual  characteristics.  Great  caution  must  be  taken  in 
studying  the  grammatical  and  lexical  peculiarities  of 
Jewish-Arabic.  One  should  not  rely  too  much  on  the 
printed  texts,  for  it  has  been  the  custom  of  most  editors  to 
consider  it  legitimate  to  correct  mistakes.  It  is  quite  natural 
to  credit  an  author  with  a  knowledge  of  grammar  of  the 
language  in  which  he  writes.  But  it  must  be  borne  in 
mind  that  the  Hebrew  and  Aramaic  quotations  occurring 
in  such  texts  are  sometimes  misread,  but  seldom,  or  never, 
tampered  with,  and  this  would  tend  to  prove  that  the 
copyists  tried  to  be  as  faithful  to  the  original  as  possible. 
Now  when  due  allowance  is  made  for  errors  for  which  the 
copyists  can  reasonably  be  held  responsible,  there  still 
remains  a  vast  number  of  mistakes  which  would  convince 
one  that  those  authors  were  not  masters  of  Arabic  diction. 
This  is  no  doubt  to  be  ascribed  to  the  circumstance  that 
the  Jews  devoted  most  of  their  time  to  the  study  of  other 
literatures  besides  Arabic.  Being  bilingual  they  fell  between 
two  stools.  They  seldom  wrote  a  natural  Hebrew,  and 
their  Arabic  never  attained  the  elegance  of  even  a  mediocre 
native  writer.  Their  Hebrew  is  abounding  in  Arabic 
idioms,  while  their  Arabic  is  interspersed  with  Hebrew 
words  and  phrases  which  make  it  unintelligible  to  the  Arab. 
When  we  speak  of  Jewish- Arabic  we  mean  the  dialect 
spoken  and  written  by  Jews  who  did  not  assimilate,  and 
were  therefore  devoting  their  time  and  energy  to  the  study 
of  the  Bible  and  the  Talmud.  Nobody  denies  the  possi- 
bility of  a  Jew  being  able  to  acquire  elegance  of  style  in 
Arabic.  Indeed,  some  of  the  Jews  who  practically  assimi- 
lated with  the  Bedouins  wrote  elegant  verses.  It  is  not 


90  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

a  question  of  race,  it  is  merely  a  question  of  pursuit  and 
surroundings.  This  is  a  sufficient  reply  to  those  who  ask 
why  should  not  men  like  Maimonides  write  as  good  an 
Arabic  as  Heine  wrote  German.214  There  is  no  justification 
in  comparing  Maimonides  with  Heine,  for  the  latter  had 
a  thorough  German  training.  We  ought  rather  to  compare 
Maimonides  with  R.  'Akiba  Eger.  One  would  certainly 
not  expect  the  latter  to  write  an  elegant  German.  To  my 
mind  the  difference  between  an  Arabic  classic  and  the 
average  Jewish- Arabic  book  is  about  the  same  as  between 
Goethe  and  the  memoirs  of  Gluckel  von  Hameln  published 
by  D.  Kaufmann. 

On  the  whole  the  majority  of  post-biblical  writers  were 
slovenly  in  their  syntactical  constructions.  To  them  the 
matter  was  the  dominant  factor,  and  the  style  played  no 
important  role.  This  tendency  produced  that  careless 
halakic  style,  a  mixture  of  Hebrew  and  Aramaic,  of  which 
R.  Sherira's  Epistle  is  a  conspicuous  specimen.  Of  course 
their  Arabic  was  superior  to  their  Hebrew,  for  after  all  the 
former  was  their  mother-tongue. 

The  greater  bulk  of  mistakes  committed  by  these  writers 
are  such  as  do  not  apply  to  the  spoken  language.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  at  the  period  from  which  the  earliest 
Jewish-Arabic  production  dates,  the  nunation  was  no  longer 
pronounced,  and  hence  there  were  no  case-endings.  In 
practically  all  manuscripts  we  find  the  cases  wrongly  used, 
the  accusative  being  employed  where  syntax  demands  the 
nominative,  or  even  the  genitive,  and  vice  versa.  They 
almost  invariably  used  the  accusative  in  the  predicate  when 
^  or  its  '  sisters '  is  absent.  This  is  against  the  rules  of 

214  See  I.  Friedlaender,  Der  Sprachgebrauch  des  Maimonides,  p.  xi. 


INTRODUCTION  :    THE    STYLE  91 

elementary  grammar,  for  the  predicate  Is  under  such  circum- 
stances in  the  nominative,  even  when  the  subject  is  in  the 
accusative.  Numerous  examples  of  such  mistakes  occur  in 
the  text  of  Hefes,  and  a  few  of  them  will  suffice  as  an 
illustration. 

Accusative  for  nominative  :  NSnv  rh  1D33N  ;n  (fol.  4  b, 
1.  20);  5>jni>  ^n  n»i»D»  town  NV^N  jNJns^N  mw  (fol.  isb, 
1.  u);  nnm^K  $K  tnnpo  ^ni  (fol.  15  a,  1.  14);  nxb  p 
WNCT  (fol.  17  b,  1. 22);  pyw  D^NI  (fol.  27  b,  1.  23). 

Accusative  for  genitive:  NINJ  im  (fol.  4b,  1.  13); 
n?  ^y  vf?n  ;K&  (fol.  ai  a,  1.  23) ;  Knaxn  -M  -pn 
(fol.  22 a,  1.  u). 

Nominative  for  accusative  :  tfh  }m  N^  JNnip^N  xnn  ^y  nv* 
|N3^  (fol.  8  a,  1.  20);  DXJJK  NODHpN  pnK>  »N1  (fol.  I2b,l.  15); 

^K  ariKV  JKS  JNS  (fol.  31  a,  1.  22). 

Nominative  and  accusative  used   promiscuously :  rf?  jo 
n  (fol.  3  b,  1.  25) ;   w  ^CVN  in  t«vn  jsaip^  ^n11 

K11D3D   (fol.  II  b,  1.  23)  ;   1HN1  NOVl   (fol.  22  a,  1.  2l). 

As  in  the  verbs  the  mood-endings  were  dropped  in  the 
spoken  language,  there  is  great  confusion  in  this  respect  in 
Jewish-Arabic  works.  We  find  such  constructions  p"1  |K 
(fol.  1 6  b,  1.  23) ;  pn  IK  (fol.  22  b,  1.  10) ;  pbxn  K!?N  rrna  np 
(fol.  24  b,  1.  18) ;  mD  NDJJ>  »ni>K  ^N  (fol.  30  b,  1.  21).  Cases 
like  m11  D^  (fol.  7  a,  1.  24,  and  many  other  places)  and 
•"D311  D^>  (fol.  7  b,  1.  12)  may  belong  to  this  class,  but  it  is 
also  possible  to  consider  them  as  that  kind  of  exceptional 
orthography  which  Arabs  call  pt-i-1,  that  is  to  say,  the 
unnecessary  lengthening  of  a  vowel. 

As  an  indication  of  these  writers'  lack  of  appreciation 
for  the  finesses  of  the  language,  it  may  be  mentioned  that 
they  employ  the  particle  >-3  without  any  force  whatsoever. 
Hefes  practically  uses  it  instead  of  j .  The  monotonous 


92  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 


repetition  of  the  construction  a  ,  .  .  NEND  is  exceedingly 
irksome.  The  copyist  cannot  be  held  responsible  for  such 
inaccuracies,  unless  we  assume  that  he  deliberately  changed 
the  letter,  or  that  the  original  was  written  in  Arabic  script 
without  diacritical  points,  so  that  ^  could  be  confounded 
with  i—5  in  many  cases,  especially  when  the  writing  was 
cursive.  Both  suppositions  are,  however,  highly  improbable. 
Copyists  seldom  change  such  matters,  and  had  the  original 
been  written  in  Arabic  script  without  diacritical  points, 
there  would  have  inevitably  occurred  some  other  mistakes 
of  a  similar  nature.  In  the  absence  of  such  traces,  we  must 
hold  the  author  responsible  for  these  confusions.  On  the 
other  hand  the  particle  J,  which  is  employed  with  graphic 
effect  by  the  Arabs  to  introduce  the  apodosis,  is  almost 
entirely  absent  in  Jewish-Arabic  works. 

It  is  to  be  observed  that  most  of  the  above-named 
grammatical  peculiarities  have  been  found  in  the  texts  of 
Mohammedan  writers.  Ibn  Abl  Useibi'a's  History  of 
Physicians  is  often  referred  to  in  this  connexion.  It  is  true 
that  that  book  contains  a  number  of  mistakes.  But  whereas 
with  Mohammedan  writers  it  is  a  rare  exception,  with 
Jewish  writers  these  mistakes  are  practically  the  rule. 
Moreover,  the  evidence  adduced  from  the  mistakes  is  not 
to  prove  Jewish-Arabic  is  a  separate  jargon,  but  to  indicate 
the  fact  that  those  writers  paid  no  attention  to  the  study  of 
Arabic  grammar.  For  such  forms  like  pi>3sn  N^N  were 
certainly  never  used  in  the  spoken  language,  and  were  due 
to  want  of  knowledge.  If  a  few  Mohammedan  writers  also 
committed  such  mistakes,  they,  too,  lacked  accurate  know- 
ledge of  their  language. 

Taking  all  the  lexical  characteristics  of  Jewish-  Arabic 
into  consideration,  we  would  not  be  far  wrong  if  we  stated 


INTRODUCTION  :    THE    STYLE  93 

that  it  is  a  kind  of  a  jargon.215  This  is  a  natural  consequence 
of  Jewish  exclusiveness.  A  group  of  people  speaking  a 
language  of  an  alien  race,  and  forming  a  separate  circle, 
would  easily  develop  a  dialect  of  their  own,  which,  though 
essentially  resembling  the  parent-tongue,  would  have 
a  number  of  words  peculiar  to  itself.  Thus  when  Jews 
conversed  with  their  co-religionists  they  naturally  employed 
a  number  of  Hebrew  words  appertaining  to  religion,  and 
these  terms  gradually  became  part  of  their  Arabic. 
Furthermore,  Jews  had  a  vast  literature  of  their  own  which 
they  never  abandoned,  and  as  some  words,  especially 
technical  terms,  are  not  readily  found  to  exist  in  another 
language,  they  were  compelled  either  to  retain  the  Hebrew 
words  or  to  coin  new  expressions.  It  was  hard  to  find  an 
equivalent  for  r6lV;  but  since  n?y  =  Arabic  A*^,  they  coined 
a  form  iijwato.  I  even  suspect  the  existence  of  a  form  myxs 

in  Jewish-Arabic.      For  the  broken  plural  of  forms   like 
> 

sjujx-*  is  usually  JJti-'s ;  but  Jewish  writers  employ  nyNlV  ,216 
which  is  usually  the  broken  plural  of  the  active  participle 
feminine.  This  would  accordingly  be  a  literal  imitation  of 
fyto.  In  some  cases  they  introduced  new  words  where 
genuine  Arabic  terms  were  at  hand.  For  "iniE,  permitted, 
they  could  easily  have  used  J&**,  but  they  preferred  a 
literal  translation  of  this  word,  and  used  p^BD. 

Even  nowadays,  when  public  schools  tend  to  do  away 
with  dialects,  the  Arabic  spoken  by  the  Jews  of  Tunis  and 
Algiers  differs  considerably  from  that  of  the  natives.  A 

216  I  use  this  term  in  no  disrespectful  sense.  I  would  define  a  jargon 
as  a  dialect  which  had  no  natural  development.  Thus  if  a  nation,  while 
adopting  a  foreign  tongue,  still  uses  words  and  expressions  of  its  former 
language,  it  may  be  said  to  speak  a  jargon,  since  it  would  not  be  readily 
understood  by  natives. 

16  See  text,  fol.  10  a,  1.  12;  Sa'adya's  translation,  Deut.  12.  6. 


94  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

careful  study  of  Marcel  Cohen's  book  on  the  Arabic  dialect 
of  the  Jews  of  Algiers217  proves  this  point.  It  is  true  that 
M.  Cohen  repudiates  the  idea  that  it  is  a  jargon,  but  this 
merely  depends  on  the  point  of  view.  The  natives,  who  are 
after  all  the  best  judges,  regard  it  as  such. 

It  must,  however,  be  admitted  by  all  that  want  of 
stylistic  elegance  is  to  some  extent  compensated  for  by  the 
marvellous  vocabulary  these  writers  have  at  their  command. 
It  is  astounding  the  way  Hefes  finds  Arabic  equivalents 
for  the  most  obscure  mishnic  words  and  phrases.  It  is 
quite  immaterial  for  our  purpose  whether  these  terms  were 
first  employed  by  Hefes,  or  were  in  common  use  among 
Arabic-speaking  Halakists.  The  fact  that  they  were 
employed  by  Jewish  writers  is  sufficient  to  indicate  the 
extent  of  their  vocabulary.  I  have  no  doubt  that  Jewish- 
Arabic  texts  have  preserved  some  genuine  Arabic  words 
which  long  ago  became  obsolete  and  are  not  found  in 
any  of  the  lexica,218  just  as  Jewish-German  and  Jewish- 
Spanish  have  retained  some  obsolete  words  of  German  and 
Spanish,  respectively. 

VI 
•        THE  MANUSCRIPT 

•  9 

The  manuscript  herewith  edited  was  recently  discovered 
by  me  among  the  Genizah  fragments  of  the  Adler  Collec- 
tion at  V.the  Dropsie  College.219  These  fragments  were 
acquired  by  Dr.  Cyrus  Adler  while  in  Cairo  in  i89r.  The 
entire  codex  consists  of  thirty-six  and  a  half  leaves  which 

217  Le  Parler  arabe  des  Juifs  d'Alger,  Paris,  1912. 

218  A  good  instance  is  A-x^l,    (text^fol.  i  b,  11.  9,  n\  which  obviously 
denotes  a  pond. 

219  See  JQR.,  New  Series,  III,  317  ff. 


INTRODUCTION  :    THE    MANUSCRIPT  95 

are  held  together  by  a  string.  The  first  four  leaves  do  not 
belong  to  the  Book  of  Precepts.  Though  the  writing  of 
those  leaves  closely  resembles  that  of  the  remainder,  it  is 
safe  to  say  that  they  were  not  originally  bound  together. 
They  have  18,  and  sometimes  19,  lines  to  a  page,  while  the 
number  of  lines  on  the  other  pages  ranges  from  23  to  27. 
These  leaves  are  of  a  lighter  hue  than  the  rest.  They 
contain  gaonic  Responsa  dealing  with  widely  different 
subjects.  As  the  writer  of  these  Responsa  is  addressed 
as  Gaon,  they  could  not  have  proceeded  from  the  pen  of 
Hefes,  who  never  bore  that  title  officially. 

The  thirty-two  leaves  of  the  Book  of  Precepts  are  made 
up  into  four  fascicles.  Although  the  fascicles  appear  now 
to  be  unequal  in  the  number  of  their  leaves,  I  have  suffi- 
cient proof  that  originally  each  fascicle  consisted  of  ten 
leaves.  The  last  page  of  every  fascicle  bears  at  the  bottom 
the  word  with  which  the  following  fascicle  begins.  Each 
fascicle  is  marked  by  a  letter  of  the  alphabet.  Guided  by 
these  signs,  we  can  state  with  certainty  that  eight  leaves  of 
fascicle  I  are  preserved,  the  first  two  leaves  (not  the  outer 
sheet)  being  lost,  while  the  last  two  are  pasted  to  the 
following  fascicle.  The  second  and  third  fascicles  are  pre- 
served in  their  entirety,4iaving  ten  leaves  ea£ h.  The  last 
fascicle  has  only  three  and  a  half  leaves  of  wViting,  the  rest 
being  blank  (except  the  last  strip,  concerning  which  see 
below),  and  practically  torn  off.  The  second,  third,  and 
fourth  fascicles  are  marked  5,j',i  respectively,  on  tne  upper 
right-hand  corner.  We  thus  may  safely  assume  that  this 
volume  never  contained  more  than  four  fascicles,  and  that, 
with  the  exception  of  the  first  two  leaves,  we  possess  it  in 

.    « 

its  entirety.  For,  although  the  last  leaf  breaks  off  in  the 
middle  of  a  sentence,  the  outward  appearance  makes  it 


96  HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

quite  evident  that  no  writing  is  missing  at  the  end,  especially 
as  the  verso  of  the  thirty-second  leaf  is  blank. 

That  this  was  not  the  first  volume  of  the  Book  of 
Precepts  is  self-evident,  for  it  is  inconceivable  that  the 
copyist  managed  to  crowd  the  introduction  and  nearly 
three  books  in  the  narrow  compass  of  two  leaves,  especially 
when  we  consider  the  magnitude  of  the  first  book.  It  was, 
no  doubt,  customary  in  olden  times  to  copy  separate  volumes 
of  a  large  work,  just  as  pamphlets  are  issued  nowadays.  In 
Genizah  lists  of  books  we  often  come  across  the  expression 
.  .  .  3Nro  JO  13.  Among  the  Genizah  fragments  of  the 
Jewish  Theological  Seminary  of  America  I  saw  a  number 
of  lists  with  such  phrases.220  Indeed,  Harkavy  announced221 
that  such  a  list  registered  }'cn  3WD  }»  T3.  These  words, 
however,  were  afterwards  obliterated,  for  they  are  missing 
in  Bacher's  edition  of  this  list.222  Our  fragment  probably 
was  such  a  pamphlet,  and  hence  I  am  justified  in  supplying 
the  title,  '  A  Volume  of  the  Book  of  Precepts  '  (3Xri3  J»  13 


The  last  leaf  is  a  narrow  strip  which  was  originally 
blank.  One  of  the  owners  wrote  on  the  recto  the  following 
words  in  bold  square  characters  : 


13  ni3r6  n>rr  133^ 


Verso  was  used  as  an  account  book  by  another  owner, 
for  it  has  the  following  inscription  in  a  different  handt  which 
is  a  sort  of  Oriental  cursive  : 

**o  See  also  REJ.,  XXXIX,  pp.  199  ff. 

221  Judisches  Literafarblatt,  1878,  p.  43.  » 

222  R£j.t  XXXII,  p.  127.     Comp.  Poznanski,  fWVp   VJ'3K,  p.  28. 


INTRODUCTION  :    THE    MANUSCRIPT  97 


N:H  n  NN  UN  ijy 
i  nata  UN  i3y 
.p-n  f  D^VD^N  njj;  pm  *  ejoi*  n:y 

The  leaves  measure  7^x  5^  in.  (=  17-6  x  13-5  cm.),  and 
the  number  of  lines  in  a  page  ranges  from  23  to  27.  The 
writing,  which  is  in  Oriental  square  with  a  distinct  ten- 
dency to  cursiveness,  is  very  close,  no  space  being  allowed 
between  separate  words.  It  is  the  context  alone  that  can 
help  us  to  decide  how  the  words  are  to  be  divided.  On  the 
whole  it  is  written  in  a  fairly  legible  hand.  The  only  letters 
that  are  not  clearly  differentiated  are  D  and  D,  while  T  and  ~i 
are  quite  distinct,  though  not  always  correct.  The  copyist, 
however,  frequently  misread  his  original,  and  a  vast  number 
of  mistakes  crept  in,  apart  from  the  usual  errors  due  to 
homoioteleuton  and  dittography.  In  the  original,  which  was 
before  the  copyist,  n,  n,  and  n  seem  to  have  been  subject  to 
confusion.  He  accordingly  wrote  fT^KTinD  instead  of  rr^NnriD 
(fol.  4a,  1.  4),  ^nic&N  instead  of  ^niD^N  (fol.  7b,  1.  12).  Simi- 
larly T  and  1,  3  and  3  were  sometimes  indistinguishable. 

The  orthography  employed  in  this  manuscript  is  that 
which  may  be  termed  classical,  in  contradistinction  to  the 
phonetic  or  vulgar  spelling  which  is  now  and  again  met 
with  in  Jewish-Arabic  fragments.  It  is,  however,  not  quite 
consistent  throughout  the  book,  especially  in  the  case  of  a 
at  the  end  of  the  word.  Short  vowels  are,  as  a  rule,  with- 
out any  signs  whatsoever  ;  but  in  a  few  exceptional  cases  ^ 
is  followed  by  "•,  as  fNVD  (fol.  i;b,  1.  6)  =  ^y^\  &  by  1,  as 

bmoijKi  (fol.  263,  1.  u)  =  jj£J"5  '  &  bv  N'  as  Kjnpx  (fol.  i9b, 

1.  15)  =  cT^l.223     It  is  hard  to  decide  whether  forms  like  nb 
^  are  to  be  taken  as  orthographic  peculiarities  or  syntac- 

223  This,  however,  may  be  a  mistake  in  form  :   the  author  or  copyist 
considered  this  word  as  a  triptoton. 

H 


98  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH'S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

tical  errors.  As  I  have  pointed  out  above224  there  are  cases 
which  indisputably  show  that  the  author  or  copyist  con- 
founded the  moods. 

In  classical  Arabic,  a  at  the  end  of  the  word  is  in  some 
cases  indicated  by  1  and  in  others  by  <j,  and  there  are 
practically  fixed  rules  when  to  write  the  one  and  when  the 
other.  Thus  it  would  be  regarded  as  an  orthographic  error 
to  spell  UMJ  or  ^:>.  Dictionaries  are  careful  to  give  the 
accurate  forms,  and  where  tradition  wavers  the  fact  is 
recorded.  In  this  manuscript,  as  in  all  other  Jewish- 
Arabic  manuscripts,  there  is  no  fixed  rule  in  this  matter, 
and  even  one  and  the  same  word  is  found  sometimes  with  N* 
and  sometimes  with  \  Thus  l*o  was  in  the  direction,  was 
similar  (verb  of  j»3)  is  spelt  NH3  (fol.  2a,  1.  22)  and  TO  (28  a, 
1.  7)  indifferently.  Even  a  followed  by  a  hamza  is  some- 
times represented  by  \  as  »J3^M  (fol.  2  a,  1.  22)  =  ^GJl ;  "HN 
(fol.  3b,  1.  u)  =  *tfl ;  ynnoN^K  (fol.  aob,  1. 33)  =  Hisj**!.  It 
should  be  observed  that  such  orthographic  inconsistencies 
occur  also  in  early  Mohammedan  manuscripts.225 

A  hamza  is  seldom  represented  even  in  the  middle  of  a 
word.  Thus  we  have  DIK^K  (fol.  lab,  1.  16)  =  u-i[pl.  It  is 
naturally  awkward  to  represent  a  hamza  at  the  end  of  the 
word  by  a  letter,  as  it  is  usually  preceded  by  tf.  When 
hamza,  however,  at  the  end  of  the  word  follows  a  consonant, 
1  is  sometimes  the  bearer  thereof,  as  iT:6xi22G  (fol.  25  b,  1.  i) 
=  q^&J^j.  This  1  then  becomes  part  of  the  word,  and  hence 
remains  even  in  the  accusative  singular,  as  N1TJD  (fol. 
5b,l.i2). 

The  system  of  transcribing   Arabic   words   in    Hebrew 

2«  Chapter  V.  i 

228  See  NOldeke,  Gescliichte  des  Qordns,  pp.  248-60. 

223  Other  manuscripts  have  T3 . 


INTRODUCTION  :    THE    MANUSCRIPT  99 

characters  employed  in  this  manuscript  is  that  customary 
in  Jewish-Arabic.  Diacritical  points  are  only  placed  over 
B  and  X  to  represent  &  and  (_^,  respectively,  while  a,  lt 
3,  and  n  retain  their  double  nature  without  any  distinguish- 
ing mark.  Thus  the  context  alone  will  decide  whether  a 
stands  for  »•  or  c,  &c.  The  consistency  with  which  this  is 
carried  out  proves  that  this  is  due  to  phonetic  influences, 
although  this  would  not  account  for  the  omission  of  the 
point  over  3  when  it  represented  ^,  and  this  is  one  of 
the  reasons  why  I  did  not  feel  justified  in  supplying  any 
points.  Another  phonetic  trace  is  to  be  found  in  the  con- 
fusion of  6  with  if.  Thus  we  Wave  xsni  (fol.  4  b,  1.  2o)  =  U^>. 
In  colloquial  Arabic  these  letters  are  often  confused.  ^-l&>, 
midday,  is  pronounced  duhr  ;  ijJa.'> ,  spectacles,  glasses,  is  pro- 
nounced nadddra.  On  the  other  hand  ia>&,  an  officer \  is 
pronounced  zdbit. 

The  Hebrew  quotations,  too,  offer  some  interesting  pecu- 
liarities. Biblical  words  are  in  the  majority  of  cases  repro- 
duced with  masoretic  accuracy.  But  post-biblical  words 
deviate  considerably  from  the  system  of  orthography  to 
which  we  are  accustomed.  In  these  words  there  is  no 
uniformity,  and  one  and  the  same  word  is  spelt  differently 
in  one  passage,  as  N3NT  (fol.  ab,  1.  9)  and  xai  (ibid.,  1. 10). 
The  most  striking  mode  of  spelling  is  the  frequent  use  of  X 
to  represent  d  in  the  middle  of  the  word,  as  NDXJp  (ibid.,\.  7). 
In  this  respect  our  manuscript  resembles  the  bulk  of  Genizah 
fragments.  It  is  quite  legitimate  to  assume  that  this  is  due 
to  Arabic  influence  where  such  a  mode  of  spelling  is  the 
rule. 


H  2 


100  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

VII 

REFERENCES  TO  HEFES  AND  HIS  BOOK 

As  this  is  the  first  time  that  anything  by  Hefes  is  pub- 
lished, it  will  not  be  amiss  to  give  the  passages  where  he  or 
his  book  is  quoted  or  merely  mentioned.  Whether  Hefes 
is  the  author  of  the  Sefer  Hefes  or  not,  it  will  be  useful  for 
easy  reference  to  have  also  those  passages  included  here. 
But  owing  to  the  fact  that  there  is  no  unanimity  of  opinion 
on  this  matter,  I  place  the  passages  from  the  Sefer  Hefes 
and  Sefer  he-Hafes  separately.  Rapoport  collected  a  great 
many  passages  that  were  found  in  books  published  up  till 
1861.  The  literature  that  appeared  subsequently  was 
thoroughly  searched  by  bibliographers,  chiefly  by  Poz- 
nariski.  A  few  further  references  from  manuscripts  and 
printed  books  were  supplied  to  me  in  friendly  communica- 
tions by  Professors  Davidson,  Ginsberg,  and  Marx,  of  the 
Jewish  Theological  Seminary  of  America,  to  whom  I  give 
credit  in  the  respective  places.  One  may  feel  certain  that 
no  passage  occurring  in  books  printed  in  modern  times  was 
overlooked ;  but  I  entertain  some  doubts  whether  the 
halakic  literature  was  exhausted.  It  is  only  by  mere 
chance  that  I  was  able  to  add  one  passage  from  Mordekai, 
Ketubot,  IX,  234  (Wilna  edition). 

I  have  arranged  the  passages  according  to  the  subject- 
matter  :  halakah,  philology  and  philosophy.  Authors 
within  the  same  class  are  placed,  as  far  as  possible,  in 
chronological  order.  When  one  passage  is  quoted  by  various 
authors,  whether  in  identical  form  or  not,  I  thought  it 
advisable  to  give  cross-references. 


INTRODUCTION  :    QUOTATIONS    AND    REFERENCES       IOI 

A.    HALAKAH 

(i)  Isaac  Alfasi,  Responsa,  109. 
by  nitron  polo  na  KVDI  nxn  rupp  yd?  pnn  jo  e*  DK    ,nW 
^ai  niypnp^  njoiN  p«  noxa>  ^"r  wnm  nyo  i£  emfo  Dion 
i>y  rupp  no  bix  lovya  onx  naps?  noa  nr 
T-nincy  ypni>  rib  no^oi?  ^an 
T-an  xi>  DN  nxnn  DID  NV»B>  n£  pn  jo 

^  inn   ,nn* 


(2)  Isaac  b.  Judah  Ibn  Gayyat,  Shaare  Simhah. 

a.  Day  of  Atonement  Laws,  p.  63  (ed.  Fiirth,  1861). 

n  nan  n^s^  '•nxDni  ''nytj'a  '•n^iy  o^n  NJN  nnino  n\n 
nw  pi  pana  poa  nu!?na  .  .  .  ^ny^a  '•n-iy  TIKBH  DHDIN 

*M."I»KD  na  [i]poa  nnyo  an  101  ^an  am   .wt^a  an  poa 
^.  Laws  of  '  Lttlab,  p.  103. 

pan  an  ION  oni  .  .  .  pnb  pby  5  na  ia  in^n^i  i^y  an 

^.nt^a  p^y  a 

(3)  Samuel   b.   Jacob    b.    Jam',   Ordinances  concerning 
slaughtering™ 

DW  IK  Kt^nn  NO^n  '•i^y  DTHP  Npn  paa  N>on  wn  nonan 
nr  D^  rininoo^N  bpj  oatrn  B>nno  anxvi  .  ,  .  noobi  yaia  »IB»B>D 
np*no^«  \ni  B'npn  p^^  n'-ons  ji^o  nnax  NO  ^ID  ppr  D^I 

M  »I^M  pan  no  N.na^o  (I)1^** 

(4)  Isaac  b.  Abba  Mari,  Ha-Itturt  ?whn  D3  niN,  p.  32  c. 
'»nanai  'n  pn  n^a  xnain  N*nna  an'-oi?  ^anx  n»bn  i?ya  ana  pi 

.px3  pan  an  no  iox  ''oa  pi  win  Nn^n  amoa  lanai? 

227  See  Pii*«  Recanati,  386. 

228  See  Abraham  of  Lunel,  Ha-Manhig,  p.  61  a. 

229  Ibid.,  p.  673. 

230  See  Steinschneider  in  Geiger's  Zeitschrift,  II,  p.  77. 


102  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

(5)  Moses  of  Coucy,  Sefer  Miswot  Gadol,  positive  pre- 
cept 48,  p.  1270. 

'31  DT)E>  p^aotr  }1NJ  pan  ID  ania  nvi  "per  aina  pan  naoai 

231,jnat?  'ninaa  paniai  mnianpo  numa 

(6)  Samuel  b.   Solomon   in   Responsa  of  R.   Meir   of 
Rothenburg)  250  (ed.  Prague). 

ay  D«S^  iy  nioap  "on  i?y  pnao  ^si^  ^  jnao  pi 
no  b  7'K«no  pw  pan  noi  »w 


(7)  Abraham  of  Lunel,  Ha-Manhig. 
a.  p.  6ia. 

nnyo  '»ani  pan  m  IN  /it^a  m  poa  pi  pana  ipoa 


b.  p.  67  a. 
S.i^3  prfc  pbj?  'a  nnx  baa  ia  n^nw  DN  p«a  pan  an  ana  pi 


(8)  R.  Menahem  of  Recanati,  Piske  Recanati,  386. 

pan  DB'a  oa/K  an  a 
iovya  Nin  njpK>  noa  -"b-o  *an 


ns:iN  p«  ICNT  Nn  b^r  SI^K  pan  DB'a  oa/K  an  ana 


(9)  Mas'iad  Hai  b.  Aaron,  Mdase  Rokeah,  quotes  in  his 
preface  the  following  note  from  an  old  commentary  on 
Maimonides  (p.  6)  : 

nan   .in^nsj'i   nayn  pa^pi  pixa  nain   nc«  pan  ail 


231  See  Meir  of  Rothenburg,  Responsa,  852. 

232  See  Isaac  b.  Judah  Ibn  Gayyat,  Sha'are  Simhah,  p.  63. 

233  Ibid.,  p.  103. 

234  See  Isaac  Alfasi,  Responsa,  109. 

235  The  text  is  slightly  corrupt,  and  I  corrected  the  grammatical  errors. 


INTRODUCTION  :    QUOTATIONS    AND    REFERENCES       103 

B.    PHILOLOGY 
(i)  Ibn  Janah. 

a.  Kitdb    al-Usul    (ed.    Neubauer),   s.  v.    ntJ>K,    p.    73, 
1.  31  ff. 

V>k*2  'ifsr*  nnt^NJl  Ulj  .pan.) 
.nuan  ta   D'nnBDm  n^npno 
nn  HIT  mapfe  n^nn»  yo3B>  J^K  jn  nu^N  B^P  l^i  j 
'3B>  ip^nrw  no  [hsw]  sj^nn  B>«a  paipn  DnnK'Ni  'j^  TIDN  nr 
ip^oi  mr  mny  vnnn  i^oyn  vbx  ej^nn  N^  |iyn:n  DH^H^N  ^oai 

.Dt3C>  nx  nm2Ki  "j^  iniD  m  nn 
^.  j-.  v.  noD,  p.  338,  1.  3  ff. 


ona  PN  nmoani  nnan  ^s  Ji,  j        JJ 
.yrr  }*snJ  juj^aJl  vl^T  ^  cyl^l        nnaJl  Cij 


c.  s.v.  -113,  p.  331,1.  5ff- 
ona  p«  ronoani  nnan 
>l^  j  j»an  luj^lj 


,  p.  337,  1.  1  8  ff. 

i  nnrton   aa-p  Clj   x^Jl  Mbf  j  pan  JU; 
nanoJl    ^  Jb 


Dipioi  ppi?  pp  pa  aana  Nin  nr  '•K  pm  un 
Qipo  ND^N  UDn  nn  pp^  pp  pa  D*3r 
iin  nn  pn^-»  na  }»nj  an  IDS  vxn  ny  noo^o  taa-ia  nnn  a^nam 

npTn«6  N^T  o^na^  nm  '•Nui?  nn 
e.  s.v.  nny,  p.  535,1.  14  ff. 

^As?-5  ii  noynn  N^  ^j  AD!   ^  pan  JlSj 
na  noynn  ^ 


104         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


iy  a^n  WK 
loynni  'as?  13  t 


^ao  &&  aaian  1*1  JJlpl  Jyj  jj 
a^t?  iy  IOIN  mini  i  irnen^ 

236.1iaOl   13 
/.  j.  z;.  y*p,  p.  642,  1.  34  ff. 


mo 


oanai 


110 


237.l^c  ny^p  j 
-.  j.  v.  nsi,  p.  656,  1.  19  ff. 

^U-l     *yi>     HNTj     JljJb    ,-INl     ^1     Jjljill    (^3    JU    J^ 

Nn^nan  Nan  NJK'  IINOI  nxn  Na^nan  Nan  wt?  ^NO  Ijlls   . 
j»Esn  JJc  J/J1  IJA  ^  KM  nnx  nKii  nKn  n^o  yocr 

.  jjyJl  (j  w.lS'  ^  »Jb  4il  A**,  N^a 

h.  Kitdb  al-Luma  (ed.  J.  Derenbourg),  p.  15,  1.  17. 

jo  npfWD^H  T:  NODN^X  n^oan  ^y)  m^Den  naianoK 
311   n-nyD  aia  onbpJa  pihio^K  KDT&K1  NO^y^N  ana  |o 
n^a  B>KI  j'sni  m^ra^M  OKI  ^an  p  ^Nioty  ail  «KH  an 
.pyoaK  Qnjy  n^K  '•'ii  ENW^KI  l*DMan^«  axnvs*  jo 

(a)  Judah  Ibn  Bal'Sin. 

«.  Commentary  on  Num.  4.  7  (ed.  Fuchs). 

.yjnoa  iBion  nopi  Tp  }o  HNI^N  nwp  fN  yi  pan  ai 


<5.  Commentary  on  Deut.  30.  a. 
ny  h'^oj  *B  HM^K  'n  ny  na^i  ^an«  ip  yi  j^an  an 
yi  ^sn  NJ^  NO:NI  .  .  .  naxna  p  ^va  hs  »a 
iai  ni'N  ny^N  n^  ^oa11  NO  *a^  jnme^R  ri^oa  »B  rrin 


ss6  See  Solomon  Parhon,  Mahberet  he-'Aruk,  s.v.  "1Oy. 
237  See  «'6»rf.,  s.  v.  JJXp. 


INTRODUCTION  :    QUOTATIONS    AND    REFERENCES       105 

^NT^  yiuxj  nivo  m&?y  vhw\  niNO  ww  ^OP  i  ann  anhp 
in  »B  IDN^N  yp>  D^>  NO  rva  ^T  jo  rrwi  pan  an  K&  -jin^ 
npyo  ^>rio  ni>ya  N"5y  Bpo   KOI  rtao  N-ipoi  rajn 
}N3  npi  n*aS>K  S33  |n  DHOKpo  ^n  nw  nnin  ^no  JKS 
^ina  D^IN  mmai  D^in  ipn  y^n^kx  n^oa  *a  ^Snx  jo 
^.njn  myi»K  xin  ^K  KS»K  nhp  jo  :bn  D^S  ^n  nyai 

^r.  Commentary  to  Judges  20.  28  (ed.  Poznanski). 
JK  ^ip  n^N11  NO  swnr^M  3NHD  '•a  y5  psn  nn^  nHNi  np  b 
n^3B>  nmn  Kn^a  JK^  ^NP  rins^N  JNDT  ;o  NTIP  nypi  e^ 
DK^TDK^Ka  KIN^  joij  rimi'N  nni?  H^N  HJK  '•jyon  nra  nr 
JK3  jx  i&  sh  nnsW  nin  *a  nyin  JKS  NO  n"j  ^y  DKIDK 
2S9.niia  nia11  JN  KIKCT  "'no  wnnoN 

df.  Sefer  Ha-  Tagnis,  s.  v.  Din  .2*° 

e.  In  hisA!'//^  al-Tarjlh^  Judah  Ibn  Balcam  is  supposed 
to  have  had  the  following  passage,  which  was  afterwards 
excerpted  by  an  unknown  writer  who  mistook  some  of 
Ibn  Balaam's  remarks  for  those  of  Hefes.241 

t  nxn  b"i  Y*n  ^rh  nniupn  DID'-DO  DND^N^N  n^Dsn 
wiyo  am    .ny"oi?N  njn^n    .fhab^N  pavn    .m^N  aov  im 


238  See  Maimonides,  Sf/f^  ha-Miswot,  ed.  Bloch,  p.  5. 

239  See  Tanhum  Yerushalmi  on  the  same  verse. 

240  This  is  mentioned  by  Dukes,  Liter  aturblatt  des  Orients,  VIII,  p.  680  ; 
but  the  passage  is  not  quoted. 

241  Horowitz,  ma^nn   niD3   JVa,  II,  p.  63  ff.      As  the  editor  did  not 
understand  Arabic,   the  mistakes  are  exceedingly  numerous.     I  corrected 
them  as  far  as  was  possible,  but  did  not  consider  it  worth  while  to  call 
attention  to  every  correction,  as  this  would  require  too  many  notes.     The 
reader  interested  in  the  corrections  may  compare  the  original  publication 
with  this  reprint. 

242  This  is  an  interpolation,  as  I  pointed  out  above,  notes  68-70,  and  the 
pages  to  which  they  refer. 


106         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

nma    .~ny^N  po:p    ,noK3D3^N  nai^p 

B>  ponap  p» 


,iri>y  DN-£N  eppina  .  .  .  ND'pnoo  nvyt  Nrva 
nnN  nya  nha  p  pyoB>  -i  ^  no  wa^py  I^N  MDV  naoo  ^B  «ai 
naas?  vn^Ni  n^a^y  tap^  m«6  .  .  .  ^  Dn^a  yao  nnsi  •'js 
no  '•Jiaoi  l|ma»  niaa  ^  ncx  nn^a  TO  ^BD  ^  »nnoK 
aaa  jt}>y  ni>yD  ^  ION  JVN-I  TOI  ub  nnnn^  rfapn 
,Dn«  ^a^  mix  PXID  PNB'  ian»a  wn  njnap  ^  TON  '•b 
msa  b"r  pW^N  n^y  NO  -P:  ^y  IHB  psno^x  nmos  H^N 
now  iry^x  p  pyot?  n  N^n  rp  nac»  ^a  "^i  nn^  Noai  iND^ai'x 
KD^  mvj  sjnia  innB>  lino  Nan  TON  'cyta  »NO  n»  pp^TD  PN 
in  n^Ki  /iai  pj^y  Nint?  DI^D  TO  NO^I  «3N  n-i?  TON  13DD  pano' 
N^>  rropi  njy  n^Nonn  noy  rum  )NB  iND^a^N  ina  SBV^N  nnn  ^y 
n^ani'N  |N3i  ND  ^yNa  nvn  »B  n*Nn  NO  (?  paN)  NnaN  nim  nan* 
.nniBan  nra  wan  N^D  ^D  nmi  rrwo  nv  i>a  ^a  n:o 

(3)  Solomon  Parhon,  Ma/ideret  he-Aruk  (ed.  Stern). 
a.  .$•.  2/.  TOy,  p.  49  d. 

(N"a  'nan)  TOynn  N^  (i*a  'nan)  ia  noynni 
Tiaa  na  iron^n  N^  TON  ^"r  na^tr  t^NT  "»PU  yo  pan 
ny  a«n  I^N  B'aj  aaun  pma  n^Ni^n  ^neraa 
XNJK>  ia  iwnt^i  inic'i!'  120:2^  ny  TOIN  mw 
243.ia  ^ontrni  ia  noynni  »a  vtray 
.   j.  z;.  y^p,  p.  60  c. 
pnaai  sny^'pi  mpi  'ain  (n*o  o^nn)  niysp  ni^nNi  no 


N  pan  i^am  [DOCD  y^  ctrpi  njnvp  nitspn 


243  See  Ibn  Janah,  s.  v. 

244  Ibid.,  s.  v.  ysp.     See  also  Kimhi,  5.  v. 


INTRODUCTION  :    QUOTATIONS    AND    REFERENCES       107 

(4)   Tanhum  Yerushalmi,  Commentary  on  Jud.  20.  28 
(ed.  HaarbrUcker),  p.  17. 

^  L^s  o^  njn:a  wfrsi  i^  ul  jwl^Jl  ^U:T  j  psn  m  JlSj 

245.nrn  nr  Mn$>  D'oat?  nnin  l^*  U5>  Jls  j^aJl  uUj 

C.    PHILOSOPHY  AND  GENERAL  REFERENCES 

(i)  Bahya   Ibn  Pakuda,  Parotid  al-Kulub  (ed.  Yahuda), 
p.  7. 

p  pan  'n  i_.L^  Ji.  UlS'  Li  ajj^l  ^.jj.c  ^a*  jldi 
nw5>n  Ji-  uyi  il*  j  I4ju  L^L 
ji,  l^jl^l 


.. 

(2)  Judah  b.  Barzillai,  Commentary  on  Sefer  Yesirah 
(ed.  Halberstam),  pp.  55,  56.     This  long  passage,  which 
gives  a  Hebrew  translation  of  the  first  two  precepts  of  the 
Book  of  Precepts,  was  quoted,  translated,  and   annotated 
above,  Chapter  II. 

(3)  Maimonides. 

#.  Sefer  ha-Miswot  (ed.  Bloch),  p.  5,  1.  3  ff. 

nm  JD  •vo1'  ra  »by  n5:n  nn»*n  IWVD&M  ^tne^N 

ny  Nos  D^an  Din^i  o»hn  nipa  ly  IN  may  D6yi 
nj»  o6yNa  '•nx  nb^  D^Dy  ina  ncoynoN  ni'Ni 

246,Nnn  xaoN^a  ••a  i6j  jc6  PTD  NM  y^N  in  MM  N^N  nyani 

^.,  p.  55,  1-  13  ff- 

va  ^M  »a  f>Mj»  ^"ia  rnv  JWITB^M  3Mna  anxv 
Mnaoi"   :^NP  nv:  Min  NCN!?D  bxB^M  i^n  n^y  i'on^''  MO 


245  See  Ibn  Bal'am  on  this  verse. 

246  See  Rapoport,  Kebusat  Hakamim,  p.  58,  and  Ibn  BaFam's  Commentary 
on  Deut.  30.  2. 


io8         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


fna  t     Nnya     in11  'yni  'an  nSsa  wnaa«  'ayo 
£n  n^y  ^onK«  ni>K  ^i>K  jo  'ay  Knaoi  nhp  N»K    ".poio 
nna   Dnorb*   ni>K  pat?   p*W   nriK^n  on  »ayo  pnx^hi  pint&n 
peso  Knjnoa  r6ip  <iay»i  ny  woa  DH»K>  nu  nn^o  ^^no  nyoni  UPD 
1^  N^    ,nr  n»o»i  nr  nna11  n5«  yoi  'yn  n3«  *ay» 
NH^  nixo   m^y  B^w  niso  Bt?  npny  JN  may 
f"ai  i>«p  NCO  7yn  n^  DTN^  NHJDI  N^  Dm^>  «nao 
1'  xb  fn»  tDx!?niN  nay  nfe  n&K  o^y  Kim  ;n:  N!? 
.n^DD^N  ria^a  b^KpM  K7&6  naia 
c.  Pe'er  ha-Dor  (ed.  Amsterdam),  140,  p.  25  d. 
PK  -U?K  noKn  Kin  [Sannan  nana]  niana  lianas  NO  .nait^n 

nas^on  nsri  nae^n  B>n»aa  U-DT  p  wai  pao  DW  u 
nnnan  Diip  ian>  nnn»  nKy  I^N  nauwnn  Known  K*n 
3*T  pan  an  pann  ania  ana^  n»a  WKT^  no  »aa 

Munk,  Notice  sur  Abou'l-  Walid,  p.  198,  quotes  part  of 
the  original  of  this  passage. 

^.AJ  5>*T  pan  n  jJj^iJI  vLiT^^U  »/i  L  J^sJI  dL)5  j  b«Jj 

.  A*Sva3    jjj.}     8JtJ    ^    li-x>     |j\>j     &J-»    Jolt 

e/.  7^V/.,  142,  p.  26  d. 

'••aa  cb  nn  rr^po  wnt^  nvenpm  bbo  Kim?  D^iabn  1^1 
yiyon  can  ^  jnv  n^m  omoipoa  n"ya  oapnN  '•JN  ^3K  naeisn 
am  onno  n^am  y\  n^oa  la^an  ioa  owiKan  nan  nnK  »3B>en  nna 
.onar^  oniaa  ^y  oinx^  noo  onhn  nisen  naoa  y"a  pan 
(4)  A  Genizah  fragment  containing  rhymed  prose.247 
nnyo  ia^an  nana  m[n]o  vb\  [p]an  nana  pan  ^  [P]K  ^a  nxnsi 
|>]t:inn  nn>a»a  DK  ^a  two  ^  p«i  .^NIO^  pw  naoa  ^  n»  ptn 
.nia  nin^n  niw  n^Kna  '•nnan^  ny  mao 


247  This  fragment  is  now  at  the  Jewish  Theological  Seminary  of  America. 
I  am  indebted  to  Professor  Davidson  for  drawing  my  attention  to  this  passage, 
and  for  copying  it  for  me. 


INTRODUCTION  :    QUOTATIONS    AND    REFERENCES       109 

(5)  A  Genizah  letter  at  the  Jewish  Theological  Seminary 
of  America.248 


p  pan  a-)K     nivcn  anr>  nna 


(6)  Abraham  b.  David  of  Portaleone,  in  his  preface  to 
Shilte  ha-Gibbdrim,  acknowledges  his  indebtedness  to 
Hefes. 

THE  Sefer  Hefes 

(i)  R.  Eliezer  b.  Nathan. 

a.  }"axn  nao  nryn  px,  §  30. 

1NVC31   ipon   DHy   v^y   icnn^  112^  yan  isoa  »nN»o  3"m 
ony  taw   tnm   NK'a  nnyn   n^pnn  ^DB  IN  o»anp   D»3twi  a 


.,  p.  1150. 

in  i^  n»s"i  njnat?  n*an!»  n^n  n»n  pan  laon  xxoj  pi 

ny  ia 


(a)  R.  Eliezer  b.  Joel  ha-Levi  (n^axn).  This  writer 
quotes  this  book,  according  to  Gross.250  The  n^atO  is  now 
being  edited  by  Dr.  Aptowitzer,  but  the  first  volume  that 
has  hitherto  appeared  contains  no  reference  to  the  Sefer 
Hefes. 

(3)  R.  Isaac  of  Vienna. 

Or  Zarua. 
a.  I,  §  615. 

nan  t^an  »oa  fan  iaoai 

ana  N^I 


248  See  JQR.,  New  Series,  I,  p.  439.     I  am  indebted  to  Professor  Marx 
for  copying  this  sentence  for  me. 

249  See  Sefer  Morctekat,  Makkot,  I. 
280  Monatschrift,  1885,  p.  561. 


no         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

b.  Ibid.)  Ill,  Baba  kamma,  §  281. 
pw  "wnw  in  *?w  ni^Kt?  niai^na  unto  aina  pan  naoa 
nny  pro  po»  ipyyoi  WDBDI  wan  n«  owoi  D'Taop  mrrp 
wo  t6  onaom  nowrw?  an?ni   .npy  TO  pwyn  inixa 


.  .  .  D3K 


c.  Ibid.,  §  284. 

nnyi?  i>ioa  ">ID»  I»N  na^  ^NI  WD^B  ai    .pann  naoa 


pan  no«  ••ai  Nin  y^i  nnan  p  n>  WVDDI  N3 
'••omaa  ^ya  Npn  «an  ^ax  pntynD  p^nen  n^  ytn  o"n  p  ^ 
Nna>nD  ^nnna  H^DB^  "oni  nny^  ^IDBI  pno  NP 


/.  7^Vj?.,  §  370. 

pmay  p^KB'  nniya  opjaa  -v^a   inan    .pann  naoa 
nyv  *?&  nao  K»nB>  ^:a»  N^  nr  mtco  yaix  ^  jni3  map 
^a  ns  n'-an  »a  »3y»Bnn  'n  n»ip  10x3^  yjvn  nan 
•»ia 


V/.,  §  380. 

i  ^y  !?mo  o 

.Kan  nan  N?S  x^an  N>  pan  naoa  pi 
/.  Ibid.,  §  381. 

ii?B>  p^nvn  urv  ^>ainn   nw  n'-ana  bainn    ,p^3  pan  naoa 
pa  n3yo  DP  sw  pa  ^an3n  [^]  p^nvi?  i:n^  ^an^.n  no 


151  See  R.  Meir  of  Rothenburg,  Responsa,  252  (ed.  Cremona)  ;  307  (ed. 
Prague)  ;  R.  Samson  b.  Zadok,  569  ;  R.  Meir  ha-Kohen,  Haggahot  Maitnu- 
niyyot,  Hilkot'Edut,  n.  3. 


INTRODUCTION  :    QUOTATIONS    AND    REFERENCES       III 


T\w  jw  Dipsa  -jv^  mn    .ui  yasw  nr  nn  nayo  DB>  pssr 

Kim  'a  n^an  -IDIK  nr  pr  nn^   .njna?  N^>a  tau  nr  nn  icuy  nK 

.nuyon  JD  nnxa  nr  nn 


g.  Ibid,,  Baba  mesi'a,  §  38. 

maoi  IWDB^O  mty  *?n  PINT  ^em*  no^n  pppjn 
^1^2  ^rx  N^  min'    .nanoi  pyos?  «n  min^  nanoa  n:nj  nh 
|nn  'j^yn  ^M  nan*  rano  wb  ^*K  jaixia  ^TN  K^> 
n  loan  fnub  fi"iDsD^  ^a»  N^  nano  ^yn  i>aK  13*0 
.nvinxa  N^  o^ni  n 

.  73zW.,  Baba  batra,  §  76. 

n^nn  jawn  no  DKI  3na  pan  ISD  snpan 
vn«   ^nan^  V3K   nipoa  nciy  p  ib  B« 
mm  nan  ma  nx  nenv  ne>M  pyo^  na  mm*  n  DIBTO  prn» 
ns  B'ni11  axn  nao  no  axn  noo^  oxn  noo  B^po  nino  Nip 
.1^  «o«p  /1(3nDa  N^N  sn^i    .naa  nx  n^ni*  nt^N  o«n  noo  «JK  wa 


?'.  /^/^.,  §  78. 

p«a  ^Tin-"  nroi  WH  PDD  ana   pan  nao  .  «ipan  o^aina 
niai  »aa  paan  »nw«  «na  niaa  a^a^  natap  nai  ^a  rvfy  iin 
.jinnxn   m«a  P^n  pun  nna  ^a  pyan  «pi  pnu^  pi«n 
«na  pnux  a'aen  a'yw  miaa  P^n  nnan  >ja  j^pen  wn  «an 
pp^DO  |Nya  »NI  n-ax  ^oaia  N^K  »oaa  nis^y  ni?  J»K  ~naa  nai 

.y'r  p«an  ^ay  Naoj  nsna  n^ya^>  paiTi  mra 

j.  Ibid.,  §  99. 

.nm  niyny  ji»  KD^PI  pan  naoa  poai 

^.  7^'</.,  §no. 

'•na  hon  n»iNn  ^DIJ  pan  "iaoai 
.KM 


ii2         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


/.  Ibid.,  §  112. 

by  ->ON   DN   -icix  xpna   p  pnv  "i  "Tn  aina  pann 
man   p«   isnvb  '•INI  WKP  *o  by  pe«p  man  isrvr 
nuan  pa  nan  p  byi  ooan  pa  pn  na  by  IDK  DN 
Kb  nwan  pa  n«n  byi  o^an  pa  na  by  ION 


(4)  R.  Moses  of  Coucy,  5^r  Miswot  Gadol. 

a.  Negative  precept  in,  p.  36  d. 

m  ora  npna  xh  naba  y^oe'  DIHI  p^tn  DV  npna  DN 
am  nry^x  »mn  Kn^Ki  jnrw  pisa  w»:n  '•am  ai  ipbm  nra 
JS1D3  npna  J&P  ^a  by  ejn  nyatr  bB>  jnb^nna  .npnaB' 
mbn  -iian:  xbi  b^in  .  .  .  jaioa  npna  xbi  bwn  now 
""ani  an  PDIS  psn  nsoai  ,  .  .  won  '•ai  nana  n»onnb 

.ana  nabn 

b.  Positive  precept  107. 

wan  pan  'aoai  p-nnjon  p^sa  V^a  »w  ^0121 
Dan  Na'bn  worn  ina  *nv  p  pj»s?  I^N  nwioo  yn  ibua  ^nv  p 
by  vjsb  nc«  jnb  wsb  D^JN  ye'  isa  xnsbn  na  -DV 

pi  oanN  pib  ynv  TN  nnb  IDN  niin  pn  waving 


(5)  R.  Meir  of  Rothenburg,  Responsa. 

a.  (Ed.  Cremona),  127. 

p   PDB   r\"~\    .»o«p   »cn»  nprna  --DajT  -nanac?  nnionc'  nisi 
a^yn    njcbs   pne  ^oab  p^oon  DW«D  pan  iaoai 

,»D«P  ^on^  npma 

b.  Ibid.,  252. 

Tiea  ipoa  pi  nyia^bi  nnyb  bioa  -»IDO  pan  naoa  ana 

"•.WB^  jNa  ny 

252  I  am  indebted  to  Professor  Louis  Ginzberg  for  this  reference.  That 
Hefes  in  his  Book  of  Precepts  discussed  such  matters  is  evident  from  text, 
fol.  5  a,  II.  13  ff. 

i63  See  above,  note  251. 


INTRODUCTION  :    QUOTATIONS    AND    REFERENCES       113 

c.  (Ed.  Prague),  175. 


none  TDN  vy    yini  D'aierann  p  nnv  *|Da  jna  win  n' 
.fan  naoa  sroa  pi  '*tna  1 

.  /#£/.,  307. 

TIDD  nTa*  rxn  pxa  ^ID^S  an  ICN  *am  fan  nsoa 
'JDT  BTK  '••QK  S^N  DDIIBDI  nioj  moo  '••yao 
^  pan  noKi  «m  y^n  ^*m  ib  SJTDDI  w^w  wan 


254.ma^c»  'aa  PDBJ  pi  nny^ 
53. 

naia  nenana  is  nao^crui  nnaina  nnaNtr  ne'K  fann  ^»ya  ana 
nninaa  rb  '^nui  n^nianp  be>  mama  'a  is  '2  'waoi  naoin  /<(BN 

^.snaon  pi  nyia^ai  jno 

(6)  R.  Ephraim  b.  Jacob,  Responsa  of  R.  Meir  of  Rothen- 
burg  (ed.  Lemberg),  318. 

Kinn  KaK  nn  nipios  nir&na  Nxoa  ia^  aina  KXDJ  fan  nsoai 
n^Dpfj  xnx  '•'nyavsa  'nao   Q^iay  «ns   [''•tna]  b^pnwn  xn^an 

.nKana  nnio  nnn^i  Nrnaoi  nwna  niox  ^y^i  wnao  noxi  am 


(7)  R.  Isaac  of  Corbeil,  Sefer  Miswot  Katan,  82,  headed 

piaaoino  ISN»  w^ano  poipi?,  p.  22  b. 
ip33  JOBW  ons  ^BKB*  ntyyK'  fan  nsoa  poa  ^N3an  iran 

256,nivo  na-6  nnnn  i^  t^^  fan 

(8)  Tosafot  Baba  mesi'a,  4  a,  headed  nw  am. 

M7.a«n  -j^m  yow  fan  naoa  IK 


264  See  above,  note  251. 

285  See  R.  Moses  of  Coucy,  Sefer  Miswot  Gadol,  positive  precept  48, 
p.  127  b  ;  Sefer  Mordekai,  Ketubot,  IX,  234  (ed.Wilna). 
*•'••  See  R.  Samson  b.  Zadok,  412. 
257  See  Haggahot  Maimuniyyot,  Hilkot  To'  en  we-Nit'an,  4.  i. 

I 


ii4         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


(9)  R.  Samson  b.  Zadok,  f"3B>n. 

a.  412. 

nnrp  3"nxi  na^ir  in^s  nN  t?i:6  DIN  ma 
n3'tj»3  nma  raoo  r\tb  N^  0^31  D^  133  n3ya> 
131^  nw  pan  laon  poc  n"n  DJIDN*   ,om:i 

2n8.n-inn 

b.  569. 

bios  pno  nw  w/n  ^Q  m  ^ONP  »an  ^an  iaD3 
nnan!>  ^m  ^J^N  i^ax  N^N  DD-IISOI  n»a  pno 
N^  pm  TIDNT  NHI  y&n  »in  i^  wpnoi  MJ^TK  any 


»nB>a  poaa  pi  nyi3c6  pin  Kim  nny^  hoa  n^  pnD  spn 

(10)  R.  Mordecai  b.  Hillel,  Sefer  MordekaL 
a.  Yebamot,  II,  6  (ed.  Wilna). 

pi  fan  nao  pi  ^3jn  13*31  a"Di  na!>n  pi  nas  xypa  K^»  Npir 

.D»31K3i1   IKS' 

^.,  II,  7  (ed.  Wilna). 

N^  IN  poan  on^  ^  O 


.  Ketubot,  IX,  234  (ed.  Wilna). 
3  IN  nso^KW  nnaina  ni3NB 
paniai  rvnnnpD  '3  IN  nnina  '3  pK»3Di  naoin 


d.  X,  243  (ed.  Wilna). 

w  DN  Nnmm  Nnai^a  NS^NI 
nn»i»i  inn  hi3  Nin^  »o  N^N 


«°8  See  R.  Isaac  of  Corbeil,  Sefer  Miswot  Katan,  82. 
869  See  above,  note  251. 
260  See  above,  note  255. 


INTRODUCTION:    QUOTATIONS    AND    REFERENCES       115 

3-1  XE&X  wn  ix^  nci  w^  X3xi  xin  n 


pnay 
.o*nn  naiai  i"3D  eninn  n^sin  vby  n^ano 


.^DH  1BD3 
.  XII,  265  (ed.  Wilna). 

nana]  ^sn  nan  DW»  arnan  pia  ^»yi»  »nana  pi 


/  Kiddushin,  I,  488  (ed.  Wilna). 

IX  pon^x  nDtri]  'm  N*3"iB>  3-121  saa  3-13 

,«yanai  N3-i3  poa  pan  naoa  ^ax  [nnjno 

.  Ibid.,  489  (ed.  Wilna). 
aV  «an  '•inin  p»y3i  ^Ni»tr3  snai>n  rvin  ipoa  pan  naosi 

^.  Sanhedrin,  III,  696  (ed.  Wilna). 

P"ia  pn»Kia  pnb  pbiDB  ww  IN  amsn  yotw  pan  -13031 


.  Makkot,  I,  728  (ed.  Wilna). 
any  Ka*Ki  Ka»n  N^X  pn^3o  x^n  NVOJ  pan  -13031 


j.  Glosses  to  Mordekai,  Yebamot,  X. 

nans  *BD   K^   &TBB   noxpn   xn   p*n  pan   naD2i 

.D1!^  3H3 

(n)  R.  Meir  ha-Kohen,  Haggahot  Maitmtniyyot. 
a.  Akabah,  end  of  Seder  Tefillot,  4. 

xn^x  pi  n/xi  ^  n»arni>  pxt^  pan  naoa  303  n"-n 


xnp:  inenjn  nann  p  moan       pan  naoa  D«DI 

281  See  }"3X1  13D,  §30. 


n6         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

b.  Hilkot  Shekenim,  3,  5. 

mm  rmaa  DK  ban  nx  vby  pbabaot?]  pan  ">DD3  n""1  a"31 

,[ina-nn  b 

c.  Hilkot  Ishshut,  14,  30. 

«b  bya  nb  'n'bi  '»»a  xbi   nynorpKi  mtw  pa'»b  '»ya 
N  K»»ni»  jms  paiai  ^n  baa  pi  rmiioT  srn  nb 
nanai  n"nDm  a'na  ana  p^  bya  ni?  ni^  Nts^a  ^opo 

.yen  naoai 

t/.  Hilkot  To  en  we-Nifan,  4,  i. 


e.  Hilkot  lEdutt  11,3. 

-HD3  UDO  N^yno  N^n  ^ID^S  an  IOIN  12^  j'an  nsoa  ana 
a1»D  niDONi  nbx  -6  noxi  inun  ny  an»i  DDIIS»  ms 
pi  ^jnas'b  pin  Kim  nnyb  biosi  ytj>i  a^m  K»Dma3  wa 
^.a^y  n^o  nu^  *nt?a  "noon  pi 


(ia)  A  commentary  to  a  Mahzor.264 

a.  Fol.  37  a. 

jna  s^ai  nnyp  paa  »a»  ^aa  ma  {^K'NT  oa^Nn  PDB  pi 

iy  in«iaa  inb  intwi  *aE>  ••baa  pnnn  jn^y  ne> 

naoa  <»3  PDB  pi 


M2  See  Tosafot,  Baba  mesi'a  4  a,  headed  IVPW  3*11  . 

283  See  above,  note  251. 

264  I  am  indebted  to  Professor  A.  Marx  for  his  kindness  in  copying  these 
two  passages  for  me.  He  also  drew  my  attention  to  Marco  Mortara, 
Catalogo  dfi  Manoscritti  Ebraici  della  Biblioteca  della  comunita  Israelitica  di 
Mantova,  Livorno,  1878,  p.  36,  where  the  following  note  occurs  in  &  descrip- 
tion of  Response*  mostly  by  R.  Meir  of  Rothenburg  :  '  Molte  opere  ed  autori 
vi  sono  citati  come  il  fBn  'D  (no.  385,  389,  526)  di  IT'I  .' 


INTRODUCTION  :    CONCLUSION  117 

b.  Fol.  38  a. 

mva  pa  pan  lEmnp  ••i:  i?p  la^ai  r"y  iina  ^DD^MH  PDD  pi 
POD  pi  inio  cusij  DVD  fnu  £  NO«P*I  inio  ruop  mva  pa  r6vw 
.MOV  na  mnpa  i^sx  vvnn  o^ron  *>ai  pan  laoa  i?N3jn  wan 


(13)  R.  Abraham  (brother  of  R.  Meir  of  Rothenburg) 
in  WO  13D. 

VIII 

CONCLUSION 

In  copying  this  manuscript  I  have  endeavoured  to  give 
a  faithful  reproduction  of  the  original.  Even  in  cases  where 
there  was  an  obvious  scribal  error  I  preferred  to  let  it  stand 
in  the  text  and  correct  it  in  a  note,  rather  than  give  the 
emendation  in  the  text  and  call  attention  in  a  note  to  the 
error  in  the  manuscript.  I  felt  justified  in  doing  so,  because 
this  is  a  unique  manuscript,  and  I  wanted  to  give  the  reader 
the  opportunity  of  seeing  at  a  glance  what  is  actually  there. 
The  best  emendation,  unless  it  is  independently  corrobo- 
rated, necessarily  contains  an  element  of  subjectivity,  and  it 
is  hard  to  draw  a  line  of  demarcation  between  the  certain 
and  the  probable,  for  what  may  appear  obvious  to  one 
writer  may  be  considered  far-fetched  by  another.  By 
giving  only  '  correct  '  readings  the  editor  unduly  influences 
the  reader.  In  one  minor  point,  however,  I  have  perhaps 
deviated  from  the  original.  I  have  joined  the  definite 
article  ?N  to  the  following  word  in  accordance  with  Arabic 
usage.  Now  the  words  in  the  manuscript  are  not  sufficiently 
separated  from  one  another,  and  it  is  hard  to  tell  what  was 
the  copyist's  intention  in  this  matter.  There  are  one  or  two 
cases,  however,  where  ^N  is  at  the  end  of  the  line,  and  belongs 


n8         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

to  the  word  with  which  the  next  line  begins.265  This  would 
seem  to  indicate  that  the  copyist  considered  this  particle  as 
a  separate  word.  Owing,  however,  to  the  rarity  of  such 
cases,  I  did  not  deem  it  advisable  to  disfigure  the  text. 

My  omitting  to  supply  diacritical  points  over  the  letters 
was  based  on  very  careful  considerations.  At  first  sight  it 
seems  strange  that  there  should  be  a  consistency  in  placing 
dots  over  D  and  V,  while  the  other  letters  are  systematically 
neglected.  This  characteristic  is  shared  by  practically  all 
old  Genizah  fragments  that  I  examined.  That  the  Jews 
who  employed  the  Hebrew  alphabet  for  Arabic  words 
adopted  a  phonetic  scheme  is  evident  from  the  circumstance 
that  £•  is  represented  by  3  and  p  by  j,  and  not  by  n  and  y, 
respectively.  They  attempted  as  far  as  possible  to  write 
down  the  words  as  they  were  pronounced.  Now  we  have 
no  means  of  determining  exactly  at  what  period  the  dis- 
tinction between  some  letters  differentiated  by  dots  was 
dropped  in  pronunciation,  but  it  is  safe  to  assume  that 
this  process  took  place  before  the  Jewish- Arabic  period. 
In  colloquial  Arabic  there  is  no  difference  between  :>  and  i, 
ki>  and  o.  This  at  once  explains  why  no  diacritical  mark 
was  put  over  1  and  n.  Then  c.  approximates  so  closely 
the  pronunciation  of  the  hard  g  that  Arabs  (even  in  Egypt 
where  ^  has  the  hard  pronunciation)  in  the  majority  of 
cases  transliterate  the  hard  g  by  £.  European  Arabists  are 
sometimes  puzzled  by  such  a  word  as  o^lc,  which  simply 
represents  gazetted  This  would  accordingly  dispense  with 
the  necessity  of  placing  a  mark  over  :.  The  pronunciation 

285  See  e.  g.  text,  fol.  4  a,  1.  i. 

266  Karaite  writers  who  transcribed  Hebrew  words  in  Arabic  characters 
employed  c.  for  3.  Thus  J^^A  =  yJUn  (G.  Margoliouth,  'Abu'l-Faraj 
Furkan  ',  JQR.,  XI,  p.  207,  1.  8). 


INTRODUCTION:    CONCLUSION  119 

of  n  without  a  dagesh  coincides  with  that  of  Arabic  ^ ,  and 
there  was  no  need  to  indicate  that  no  dagesh  was  in  that 
letter,  just  as  in  unvocalized  Hebrew  texts  that  mark  is 
omitted.267.  Had  they  intended  to  place  a  diacritical  mark 
over  3,  they  might  have  more  judiciously  chosen  letter  Pi 
with  a  mark  to  represent  +  ,  It  is  only  to  represent  \j>  and 
Jo,  which  have  no  equivalents  in  the  Hebrew  alphabet,  that 
they  were  compelled  to  resort  to  diacritical  marks.  Accord- 
ingly we  have  no  right  to  tamper  with  these  texts.  It  is 
easy  to  supply  the  diacritical  points,  and  to  make  the  lan- 
guage appear  more  classical.  But  what  benefit  would  we 
derive  ?  Our  loss  is  evident ;  for  by  altering  the  text  we 
destroy  the  only  material  we  possess  for  the  reconstruction 
of  Jewish-Arabic.  I  wish  to  lay  especial  emphasis  on  this 
point,  for  I  confess  that  I  attach  more  value  to  the  linguistic 
aspect  of  such  texts  than  to  the  philosophic  or  halakic. 
The  reader  who  is  not  sure  of  the  values  of  some  ambiguous 
letters  will  find  sufficient  guidance  in  the  translation  and 
notes. 

The  Hebrew  translation  follows  the  original  as  closely 
as  is  compatible  with  the  Hebrew  idiom.  I  did  not  feel 
bound  to  follow  the  style  of  the  Tibbonites  in  vocabulary  or 
construction.  The  Tibbonites  have  no  doubt  enriched  the 
Hebrew  language,  but  their  conception  of  the  duty  of  a 
translator  is,  to  say  the  least,  out  of  date.  Why  should  one 
be  compelled  to  write  "Wn  nn  merely  because  the  Tibbon- 
ites wrote  so  in  conformity  with  the  Arabic  construction? 
The  Hebrew  idiom  is  to  say  T"imD,  where  in  Arabic  dJjii5" 
would  be  used.  Why,  then,  should  we  say  "pDK3,  which 

267  It  may  be  of  interest  to  mention  that  some  old  manuscripts  place 
diacritical  marks,  dots  or  lines,  over  13,  3,  and  2? ,  thus  avoiding  all  possible 
cases  of  ambiguity. 


120  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH*S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

is  an  infinitive,  and  would  convey  a  different  idea  ?  More- 
over, Hefes  mostly  had  biblical  or  talmudic  expressions  in 
mind,  and  I  thought  it  advisable  to  reproduce  these  expres- 
sions as  far  as  possible.  This  naturally  makes  the  style 
slightly  uneven,  for  biblical  and  talmudic  constructions 
occur  side  by  side.  To  obviate  too  great  a  contrast,  I  re- 
frained from  employing  the  waw  consecutive.  Hefes 
invariably  introduces  biblical  and  talmudic  passages  by 
pa  and  \h,  respectively.  The  b  of  p?  does  not  mean 
because.  It  is,  to  my  mind,  employed  as  a  technical  dis- 
tinction between  biblical  and  post-biblical  passages.  Con- 
sidering the  various  terms  by  which  this  distinction  may  be 
expressed  in  Hebrew,  I  decided  to  render  p3  by  nirot?  ICQ 
and  P^  by  now?  IDD.  The  expression  noKty  ^  would 
certainly  not  have  done  justice  to  the  latter.  The  Tibbon- 
ites  would,  I  suppose,  have  rendered  these  expressions  by 
11DK3  and  not6  or  DiDN^. 

I  herewith  take  the  opportunity  of  expressing  my 
gratitude  to  Dr.  Cyrus  Adler,  President  of  the  Dropsie 
College,  for  his  kindness  in  placing  the  manuscript  at  my 
disposal  and  for  encouraging  me  in  my  work.  I  am  also 
indebted  to  Prof.  Henry  Malter  for  reading  the  proof-sheets 
and  for  some  valuable  suggestions,  to  Prof.  Louis  Ginzberg 
for  locating  a  few  passages  for  me,  and  to  Prof.  Alexander 
Marx  for  his  promptness  in  forwarding  me  books,  which 
I  needed  in  connexion  with  this  publication,  from  the  library 
of  the  Jewish  Theological  Seminary  of  America. 


ARABIC   TEXT 

i  a 

Ha  nnpj?  IN  ninnevn  nn  nr  UDD  icbyj  nNDiDn  nN  na? 
]a  nn2>i  mryn  naoinb  Daajp  IK  nNinn&vi  Ha  nan  ny  -mat?  IN 
'DIN  'yDK»  'n  n»ns?  'yoB«  n  nan  nnNi  nnN  ba  by  a«n  n 
D  nbyn  byi  HNDD  obyn  by  a^nb  n»oya  »JB>  WD 
naba  nxota  ci?y\n  i?y  M^M  arn  WK  'DIN  xa'-py  '11 
ib  'obn  trrpD  UCD  obyj  ^ia»  IN  HNDD  «CD  ncbyj  woo 
yn  by  awn  PNI  a^n  Nin  nNDta  nbyn  by  NDU  wm  WDD 
n  nbyn  by  UDD  obyai  j»n^n  'DIN  -irybs*  'i  Na-py  'n  nai 
'DD  tbyy\  WOD  oby^i  'DIN  'OB*  'n  trnpD  nbyn  by  a«n  J^N  a^n  Nin 
nbyn  bin  HNDD  obyn  by  a«nb 


Fol.  i  a,  1.  i.  This  is  the  end  of  the  eighth  precept  of  the  third  section  of 
the  third  book.  As  this  section  evidently  dealt  with  civil  matters,  chiefly  with 
the  laws  of  damages,  the  discussion  about  the  punishment  for  remaining  in 
the  sanctuary  while  unclean,  must  be  regarded  as  a  digression.  Owing  to 
the  author's  scheme  of  treating  every  detail  from  all  possible  points  of  view, 
such  digressions  are  frequently  indulged  in.  See  especially  fols.  4  a,  11.  21  ff., 
and  i8b,  11.  8  ff.  On  the  other  hand  it  would  serve  no  useful  purpose  to 
speculate  as  to  what  this  precept  actually  was.  The  passage  occurs  in 
Tosefta  Shebu'ot  i.  8,  where  it  is  corrupt,  as  several  words  obviously  fell 
out  through  homoioteleuton.  In  order  to  describe  all  possibilities  the  text 
must  be  UDD  Dby:  EHpOH  flN  13T1  HNDD  13DD  Hoby31  miya  NDDJ 
'1J1  1Dby3  nNDUn  nN  "DTI  BHPD.  This  emendation  is  suggested  by  our 
text  as  well  as  by  Babli  Shebu'ot  14  b. 

1.  2.  1313B']  The  printed  text  has  pa"l31  which  is  certainly  inferior,  if 
not  impossible.  Z[uckermandel]  has  iaiDK>. 

1.  6.  '131  Dby31]  Sifra  Wayyikra,  chapter  12.  7  (ed.  Weiss,  p.  23  b). 
See  also  Shebu'ot  14  b,  Keritot  19  a,  Niddah  28  b. 

1.  10.    Shebu'ot  4  a. 

H.  121  K 


122  HEFES    B.    YASLIAHS    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

tw  .y  K^K  aw 
[rnnjrwn  K^K  MB>  K^>  nan  'ox  maota  ms>  *a  TObi^K  ^xpi  cbyn  vb  obn 


DTD  D^rni  eD3  nyri  i-6nna  nyn»  na 


mnnirn  «m  :*nv  KI  33    y  ?]K  D'as>  »a3  ninntrn    as  pn  » 
[n]tonnB>n  KM  irsi  rvnt?  na  PNB'  nxinn^n  « 
[D"]bni  on*  D!B*a  n«ni?  na  E^B'  njrna  n»»nB>  na  PXB'  n»w  na  tw  15 

n  MCI  n^D-yn  nrn  *»ru  na  pnr  n  na  <a^a  n^na^  IIJTB'  noai 

[»j]era  na  pnv  'n  MCI  n^c-jn  nm  na  p  pyoc'  7n  nb  ncNi  "TS  p  pyos? 

pi  can  n;aa  'CN  nrn  ^»KI  nynats  'CN  in  ^cna  na  pyet?  /-i 

a5    ^ni  'ai  '«n  mna 


j&oiD  jc  nanas  nwa  D-iis  jc        aain  *n:o      x  wnec  20 

[njnaac  ^a  NC»XP  N^aao  IN  xoia  npnnsi  N2iB>  mxva 
'ai  'soi  c*x  Nsn  *a  'pa  i^n  no»p  nv  IN  yx'i^x  »a  sec 


1.  ii.    The  J  of  Q^naa  is  suspended  in  the  manuscript. 

1.  la.  Ti&jW.,  16  b.  N3"l,  not  H3T,  is  the  authority  there.  Although  the 
passage  is  corrupt  in  this  quotation,  as  an  essential  sentence  is  omitted 
after  CNp  ^3n,  the  phraseology  would  suggest  that  Hefes  had  a  slightly 
different  text.  In  the  Talmud  two  versions  of  Raba's  statement  are 
recorded,  and  Hefes  quotes  the  second. 

1.  19.  33]  This  is  not  accurate  :  the  verse  in  2  Chron.  7.  3  contains 
twenty-three  words,  and  there  is  no  possible  way  of  reducing  it  to  twenty-two, 
for  if  we  omit  monosyllabic  unaccented  words  there  would  be  less  than  that 
number. 

1.  20.  n3O]  The  pronominal  suffix  of  naD  refers  to  DDp.  331JY]  This 
verb  may  be  active,  having  ny^lSvN  as  its  subject,  or  passive,  being  used 
impersonally.  The  Hebrew  translator  of  the  first  two  precepts  quoted  by 
Judah  b.  Barzillai  in  his  commentary  on  the  Book  of  Creation  construed  it  in 
the  former  way.  But  the  dots  and  space  after  naD  seem  to  indicate  that  the 
copyist  took  it  to  be  passive.  For  the  sake  of  clarity  I  followed  the  latter  in 
my  Hebrew  translation. 

1.  21.  "pN  N?aaD]  Literally  :  ears  of  corn  standing  in  the  plantation. 
These  four  words  represent  Hebrew  flOp.  Sa'adya  translates  it  by 


1.  22.    Exod.  22.  5 


ARABIC    TEXT  123 


N3   JN  N£N3   *n  HN  'D  fNID 

ssn  ^i  'ipb  Nna  Nr6  a^so^KB  "pa  «b  m  nun 


ib 

aina  nna  'an  n«  "Viaon  tbw  cbw  noxyo  sxn  »a  'ai  'vi 
v^  enn  T3  rnyan  ns  n^n  Kivi  law  v^a  D^DI  uic»  » 
a«n  npan  npa  no  n^  D^OB'  yna  a^m  DTK  ^no  TIED 
a«n  nisn  HK  x^aon  nwn  nx  NsaD  nnxi  o^syn  nx  N^ao 

"icxy^xi  :  pnitaa  D^a  nnn  inab  asl|n  ra^on  nai?i  ins  5 
pa  D^y^  nyi»  DIN  'ipb  n^p^  ^^^  *a  IN^D  "to^y  I 
o^an  nx  nat^i  nan  py  HN  noo  f^"1  pai  ny  pa  TTD  pai 

;N  Nnsa  :pianca  pianc  pxtr  niB'y!?  NV^NI  D^B>  P 
py  is  jniK  n  Ncnao  nnsi  b  py  nyixn  IN  Nnnj  INJ^N  may 

T^  £a  np-inNa  ^i  pis  Nca  Nj?tm  v  mxa  10 


p  NiNipn  !?PN  msaNi  ny'sN  IN  nnN  JN3  |NQ  N 


1.  23.  Nna/N21]  I  rendered  this  word  by  N^aO  =  u-*Jl»-  one  who  brings, 
or  transfers  from  one  place  to  another.  Does  it,  perhaps,  represent  n3/Cn  ? 
But  I  have  never  met  i_Jla-  or  ^_Ji  in  that  sense. 

1.  24.  Baba  kamma  22  b,  60  b.  In  these  texts  another  passage  is 
inserted  before  DPK'  ;  but  Hefes  only  quotes  the  interpretation  bearing  on 
Exod.  22.  5. 

Fol.  r  b,  1.  i.    31713]    Scribal  error  for  3inan. 

1.  2.    Baba  kamma  59  b. 

1.  <t.    N^aO]    The  printed  text  has  N'OH  in  both  places. 

1.  6.  JNVD]  The  orthography  is  exceptional,  as  usually  short  vowels 
have  no  symbols  in  this  manuscript.  '\2\  DTN]  Baba  kamma  26  a. 

1.  8.    Mekilta  d'  R.  Simeon  b.  Yohai,  p.  141  (ed.  Hoffmann). 

1.  9-  nyiiNI]  This  word  obviously  represents  JIvvB'  a  pond,  but  is  not 
recorded  in  any  lexicon  in  that  sense.  As  x^.  denotes  he  sucked,  i*f\j 
may  be  a  place  where  water  gathers. 

1.  10.   mNa]  =  » Il»-  which  is  an  excellent  equivalent  for  D^3in  "jTl . 

H.  L 


124         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

moN  nacp  pann  \n&  ftbhv  IN  in:  may  'ipb  nov^N  nor^a 

in:  IK  D'znn  TIT  IN  niON  yanN  maa  Nin^  nro  may  KXW  nisa 

mt?y  sw  ONI  NTI  nry^N  n  Nan  ON  wn  JNO  D'ann  -JTI  i^Npi  mua 

IN  vi  nyaniNa  na^o  »a  NINJ  oii«  pi  o^ann  T-H  new  15 

NtpE  }N3  jx  103*^  nTj  "j^E  npnnxs  nns6  IK 
V  DT^S  nnpnnM  NO  »^K  nao  nyn»  ^no  KHDINX  nvp 

nNl  NH10D3  Hip  '3   D^  }N3   fN   NEND    *  ^n  no^p 

npnnxa  "j^n  TJ  w  NHTH^  nips  np$>  Nnn  n^n  aao  ^a  nnpins*  ND 
x  "i  np^nn  nayn  noa  i^  Tina  p^non  'ipf>  Nna  n^^  Knonsia  20 
OIK  iry^N  "i  ii3  rva  yvoNa  N\T  i^K3  nniK  pNn  OIN  nnry  p 
^  DIN  pyot?  i  noN  D'E^on  61  N  na^py  n  ouin  mi  HON 
ON  HUN  na  nan  ON  jom  ai  ON  npinn  ^a^  bn  ,iN  'aon 


2  a 

na5>n  ^NIOB'  ON  min*  an  ON  cjor  an  ON  npi'i  ^  nnaia  ^ai?  b.n  an 
[n]oni?N  nN  nN^N  nnwnn  NO  n^oa  ^a  namn^N  n!?Npi  '  pyotr  'na 
n  nphn  nayn  noa  i^  iina  p^non  npnnxa  sjwy 
D^K>  mnn  ny^a  o-ann  -jm  noN  nn^y  ^B>  OIN 
OIN  na^py  ^  HON  n^on  ninn  nyE'a  .ION  wvhv  OIN  mvT  n  HON  5 


.  i  a.  Baba  kamma  61  a. 

.  13.  Ibid.  The  first  "inj  is  no  doubt  a  scribal  error  for  "H3,  as  these 
wo  ds  are  graphically  similar. 

.  14.  Ibid.    Instead  of  ENT  the  printed  text  has  pm. 

.  17.  V1O]    Read  NO,  as  in  the  next  line. 

.  18.  D  v  }N3]    A  vulgar  combination. 

.  20.  Ibid.,  6  1  b. 

1.  23.  '131  JOH3  an  ON]   Ibid.  The  word  N^NI  or  ^Npl  probably  fell  out. 

Fol.  a  a,  1.  3.  Tosefta  Baba  kamma  6,  22.  33.  There  are  only  a  few  in- 
significant variants,  as  315^  before  the  second  nt^yo  is  omitted  in  the 
printed  text.  Z.  has  TyaTI  instead  of 


ARABIC    TEXT  125 


pap:i>  a-iya  npyo  HOK  HIND  BS?  nnn  nyea  HOK 
prvn  nK  npSnn  mays'  nt^yo  aw  pnm  TOM  nwo  B^E>D  in11 
naosDo  nnvi  DM  bx  reap;?  jcra  ^OK  onan  noa  nrp  nivw 
nnj  may  a^n  m  nn  ^o  *iy  I^BM  r6  D^IVO  D'yy  vn&?  IK  na^im 
ND13  np-inN  ;MB   :nioa  nioK  TODS?  parn  jn^  n^iht^  i«  ma  IK  10 
IM  namao  jx/on  IM  xna  IK  ynr^x  ni>M  ^n  pa  KD»B 
MB    ''I^T  jroa  no»p  MnoiMi  DT^S  n«:n  nyvi  msyi?M 
DT!>»  fra  iwn  nyii  mMyi»K  *a  D^  KD  n^n  ^K^a  ^a 

n»B  npnnnM  so  y>»a  no^p  DT^^B  NO  N^TJO  npnnN  }NI 
6am  lainaB'  no  ^a  c^o  OIK  rnvT  n  o^a  ia  vm  t^nan  HN  p^ion  15 
^  maa  na  rwi  onyc'  ^  B«na  IN  D*on  ^  t^ia  N^K  &^o  PM  OIM 
oan  DHIDI  moa  icy  epBW  ^  T'OD  nai  i^  niaa  nay  a«n  ioy  »pB>ai 
DIN  ya  TIT  PB>  nainaa'  no  i?a  D^BIM?  rrvan  HN  p^noa  min»  n^ 
pani  ^PIJN  ^H  i^axi  omaty  no  b  D^11  nao  mvT  n  i^Npi  :D'naa 
-jpa  ^ai  pnio  ina»M  MOI  N^  ni?  p'wn  PKB'  PN  nij  p»«nn  D^a  nao  20 
avpi  at^a  p  Spn^N  *&  yiv  is  noon  ;o  Nca  mvn  IN  ^Tp  NONB 


1.    15.     Baba  kamma  61  b.      Differs  from  the   printed  text  in  omitting 
after  D^3,  and  in  inserting  B>H3  before  DHiy^  5v.     Comp.  Tosefta 
6,24. 

1.  17.    TOD]    Read  "pOD. 

1.  19.    Ibid.    The  phraseology,  which  is  different  from  that  of  the  printed 
text,  seems  to  indicate  that  Hefes  had  another  reading. 

1.  21.  ...  1N  ...  NOB]  This  sentence  offers  some  difficulty.  The 
most  obvious  solution  is  to  emend  IK  to  fK ,  and  to  take  DD1  in  the  sense  of 
custom,  manner,  for  which  Hefes  usually  employs  the  word  iTlKy  (see  above, 
11.  12,  13).  The  translation  would  then  be  miBO  VMrt^  1311^  13"!  i>3. 
If,  however,  the  text  is  to  be  left  unemended,  we  have  to  consider  the  words 
1S  HDD")  fO  as  a  gloss  or  parenthetical  phrase.  DDT  would  then  have  the 
meaning  of  he  wrote.  According  to  this  explanation  Hefes  wishes  to  convey 
that  the  inclusion  of  wood  and  reeds  is  to  be  derived  from  the  word  IN. 
As  this  explanation  does  not  involve  any  change  in  the  manuscript,  I  adopted 
it  in  my  Hebrew  translation,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  it  is  slightly  awkward. 
Plots  of  land  not  for  sowing. 

L  1 


i26          HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

P  ta  mo  pi  'ipb  DIK&M  orb*  i^n  no»pa  i^n  xm  KOI  ":a^  mxani 
nopn  ix  N:B>  TD^  pvnw  nnnx  S>en  D<:3X  ^  -pano  pi  nnip  ^en 


mm     IKI  JD  nsKnsnoK  DDXH^K 


2  b 
N  r6x  mm    :  -isyn  nx  nan^  I^BK  meri  IN  yovn  i^xn  IK 

^X  "2   d>   B»  pK  »BB  KiTB   mi^D  ttT^K^K   f'3p   3131 
D1K  1^1  p3   ^:m  V1K   P313   JK   11^3   D1N1   D1X2  DIK 
^  pK  1*3  ^S  131X1   J30n   ]K  KONQ   11^3  print?  D1K1 

pK  ^a  n^y  n^  33Kii>K  J^-IN^N  pyoy  jo  ppa  5 
IKI  J 

ncn  i?3xi  X3 

»PBD  x^  trsn  IKI    333  p»33D  xi  Kin  JTO 
ex  K3Kin  mop^  xnx  xpun  XT  o^xn  K133  Kinn 
inx  pot^  ^3  DKI  xin  X3n  xm  »an  K3"j  pan  »3»n  Ki3ya  n»b  10 
tran  pr3  nnpxi  xan  ^NK'  x^xi  ^03  »an  px  ^333  inx  p3i3  PK 

I.  22.  Mekilta  d'  R.  Ishmael,  p.  \*y>  (ed.  Weiss).  HID  should  be  changed 
into  11D,  as  in  that  edition.  See  also  Ohalot  3,  7. 

1.  23.  Both  *p31D  and  "]31D  are  recorded.  But  *]in3  (Ezra  6.  4)  would 
support  the  second  reading. 


Fol.ab,Li.  lKniK]  A  corruption  of  fKn  SjX.  On  the  other  hand  yCBa 
may  be  retained  as  a  variant  instead  of  the  usual  yO{W3.  PlPX]  This  may 
be  a  scribal  error  for  67K  •  It  is  also  possible  that  one  of  the  nine  was  not 
included  in  this  category. 

1.  2.    tJ^nx^N]    Plural  of  ^^1  ,  used  here  in  the  sense  of  fine. 

1.  3.  'Ill  DnX]  Baba  kamma  84  a.  The  printed  text  has  twice  *pf3 
before  mK.  JK]  Read  pK. 

1.  7.  Ibid.,  15  b.  "HOn  and  v!3in  are  obviously  scribal  errors  for  *1OK 
and  v331D,  respectively.  On  the  other  hand  it  appears  that  in  the  printed 
text  the  sentence  Kin  n'miK  "HCm  ^3X  ^31313  «foi  ijni,  which  interrupts 
the  logical  sequence,  is  a  later  insertion,  due,  perhaps,  to  the  Saboraim. 

1.  9.  Ibid.,  843.  X"133  is  a  corruption  from  XIID.  The  other  variants 
seem  to  be  genuine  and  are  mostly  superior  to  the  readings  of  the  printed 
text. 


ARABIC    TEXT  127 

trhbto  piNn  NV-IN  py»t?  oaNnbN  orb^a  pyos?  'by  NnynoN  JN  NOND 
pN  TJ  'a  mm  'B«  pN  'a  mo  TnnDbso  nnn»  TJQ  ibi  'a 
}Na  ivNnbN  }N»rbN  'a  pmafoc  TibNn  aon  (IOB^M  bnN  nNpn  uoin 
p»  obi  pynp  bap  }x  NCNB  -jbib  D-insbs  nbn  bnp  ;y  pyDt?  xasn  15 
IN  ^N  pyoc'  ysa^x  piNi  DDH^N  INI  pyoefc  n 

^Ni  'ipb  onn^a  ^n  iv  PJJ»K>  S3sn  JS%D  n^n  nba 
jrno 


. 
Nb  INI  n"?  piaoio  'w  ^IN?  N  wnna  »on?  .TJBTK 

j  n  K^m  jna  nno  iTp^rn  ^pibob  n^b  p'noc'o  *p  pai  13  pai  n^ 
Tina  y-iyn  D^D  Toy>i  insa  -pro  yn  aba  DHN  bnr  sbtt*  PJO  DIN  20 
N:mt>  on     '"'in^aa  o»on  o^n  xbi  oib  6bn  in^a 


n  ^a  «nbya  orb11  osb  nync^  N^  '•in1'  n 


3  a 

pnynen  NICN  jpsn^  6  NHJD  NHTJ  ^a  Nbi  rn^  pN  »a- 
[n]ND:bNa  Fiiny?^  T:  nin  |Na  NHN  a^-in       AnjD  >biN^N  ny 
r,onb  p  bav  Nbi  iinbN  tun*  ;M  ibnb  jND^NbN  nN»a  NJND:N 

jsa  jr:i:na  bpjbxi  '21  t^-N  HN  nw  ru>  *ai  xpa  -]bn  jo  naa 


1.  12.    The  word  pINl  evidently  fell  out  after  NIVODN  by  mistake. 

1.  14.  EDin]  This  word  is  best  taken  as  fifth  conjugation,  either 
imperfect  third  person  singular  feminine,  .1,  *  'v  .  or  infinitive  Ja^Ij  = 
arbitration.  The  second  conjugation  is  syntactically  possible,  and  perhaps 
preferable,  but  is  unknown  in  the  sense  required  here.  J"lNpn]  Plural  of 
iiJ  (from  ^J.)  a  faithful  man.  For  the  ending  comp.  ijjii. 

1.  15.  D"1l"!v3]  The  signification  he  excommunicated  \s  recorded  only  by 
Dozy.  It  would  thus  not  be  unlikely  that  its  occurrence  here  is  due  to 
Hebrew  influence. 

1.  16.  pNDK'N]  Infinitive  fourth  conjugation  =  to  cause  to  come,  or  to 
appear.  See  Dozy. 

1.  17.  Baba  kamma  15  b.  The  superfluous  N  after  &Oi"ia  ought  to  be  \ 
Instead  of  pUCMD  read  p^JDTD.  The  rest  are  genuine  variants. 

Fol.  3  a,  I.  4.    '1:1  -"ail    Exod.  21.28.     fjfblO]    After  the  J?  the  paper  is 


128         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

"axi  TUP  Diaa  'ipi>  nnsaa^x  can  IB  n^xcnn  paTpxi  fa-i^xi  5 
TXE  n  pnn  niBa  pnn  ITOPI  ^pit?  oiaa  TIBB  pnn  a^n  pnn 
^y  ci'B'  PTJ  D^D  bann  bxn  j^n  ^y  ois  »3m  D^  pra  D^B^ 
nm  D^  pT3  cb&D  nyio  nuiys  ^yi  nvm  ^xn  nai^a  ^yi  na^aa 
IBD/X  D'ixn3^x  p  nnxi  ^a  ^y  33^a  xi^x  bnp^xi  pra  ^*n 
'ya  ^no  jxDix^x  ""a  ^ya  "no  TfcwH  yxiax  piai  oinao  10 
jxi    :  nVkT3  xwa  fjiyi  n^ni  nons  "ixcy  tv&ih  '*$h  n^np  "p*^  aa"  HTM 
[xjoxa  rxa  ^na  n^y  nno^xno  ^ap  nonpx  ix  nanxv  mn^x  xnn  yx 
[ijanpni  lisa  nso  pn3  noy  x^ty  ny  n'onu'  on  TIB'  'if9  x^a  ny3 
inwMani  main  ^ya  ionp  T^y  new  no  nanoa  lamai 


noytwi  *iw  n^yB'  no  an  K$>B>  iy  P"in  pai  pnn  i6r  ny  an  pa  15 

,  ,  10 

pa  nsry  N7  n^noa  wnwi  iunB>  t^npfl-  U»K  i^npn  mao  WN  nao 


an  K^  ny  Pnrn  pai  pnn  K^  ny  an  pa  imrn:m  main  ^ya 
^  ^a  na»  K^  a-ip^  ^Dt?a  IDWD  N^N  D^nan:  paw?  --a^  ni^a  nc»y 

K«Kn  nx  'ipi    'enftt  Dna^i  ^on11  ix  nubs  nono  Ha  men 
^-X  x^x  ^  px  'ip^1  xirx  ^XDDX^XI  >in:D^xi  nioroD^x  bsm  n^sn  20 


torn  off.  As  this  word  represents  na'tJ'J,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  }' 
is  to  be  supplied. 

1.  5.  |*B"VX1]  A  dialectic  variant  for  the  ordinary  i^LST.  See  Dozy. 
'IDI  D133]  Tosefta  Baba  kamma  5,  8.  The  reading  of  Z.,  confusing  a^n 
and  TlDD  can  scarcely  be  defended.  See  also  Babli  Baba  kamma  48  b.  The 
variants  are  insignificant. 

1.  ii.  Mekilta  d*  R.  Simeon  b.  Yo/iai,  p.  135  (ed.  HoffmannX  See  also 
p.  131.  The  former  passage  which  practically  agrees  verbatim  with  this 
one  applies  to  a  different  case.  It  is  the  latter  which  Hefes  had  in  mind. 

I.  13.  Baba  kamma  33  b.  See  Tosefta  5,  i.  There  are  numerous 
variants  in  arrangement  of  the  sentences  as  well  as  in  individual  words. 

1.  19.  nDlD]  >=  i"J*  which  is  an  excellent  equivalent  for  pH3. 
In  this  manuscript  n  and  n  are  quite  different  from  each  other,  and 

L  L  '°' 

the  copyist  no  doubt  wrote  ?CrP.     But  the  sense  demands  70IT  =  .Ufl  ? 

should  be  left  alone.  It  seems  that  in  the  first  manuscript  of  which  the 
present  one  is  a  transcription  n,  n,  and  n  resembled  one  another. 


I.  20.    niDttDx]     -.»~^»  usually  denotes   castrated,    but    it   no    doubt 


ARABIC    TEXT 


129 


pao 


nx  61^  6i>n  maTMNi  DIDDIBI  rwepi  }up 
•wia  *]i>n  ba^  iiyi  row*  JN  chy  np  -nr6n  *nn  }«a  fxi 

nrv»  a^n  vi-x  piavxn  nw  'ip^  n^np  aa*  £a  ^nps  HBJD 
nano  *aj^  n^    iuvsn  niiy  «y«i       '''imn^^  «h  ra» 


nx  ix 


onnn 


nx 


n^ip  nip 


cir^i 


AnDiyc2 
nn 


b  nri^s  "i  CN  ' 
nwn  mo^  nnsi 
^  rbm  ninan 


ny 


-VND  D  naa 


sjnyo 


jxa  IK 


«nba  N 
«  nio^x  ins  I^N^  «!> 

12  ninan 
N    tram  m»aoa 

ai  •  »nhoS>  sman  nsnaa  nawvarn 
31  by  naaw 

xnjrca  DT^ 

nooa  nyic^x  ninbs  an  TOIK^JO 
pi  nk)K3  nn  n»a  n«  xruoi  ^^^a  n^y  nin 


and 


represents  here  DEED-  TO3PK1]  =  ^£&  which  stands  for 
'131  ^  pK]  Mekilta  <T  R.  Simeon  b.  Yo/iai,  p.  131.  The  H  in 
ilK'Nn  is  to  be  deleted. 

1.  23.  p^DNpD?K]  |T,«_»UL  =  gamblers.  But  as  this  word  represents 
here  pltSXKi"!,  I  translated  it  accordingly.  The  Hebrew  equivalents  would 
be  DnnnO,  D^iynD,  or  typn^D.  X01  lir]  Baba  kamma  39  a. 

1.  24.    /Wtf.,  41  a.     The  words  1  nn'D  2"ft  IJ^N  are  omitted  here. 


Fol.  3  b,  1.  3.  Nn|)3  N^]  This  is  a  further  strengthening  of  )>y3  of  the 
preceding  line  :  the  prohibition  of  deriving  any  benefit  applies  only  to  some 
cases,  not  toall.  To  read  it  as  one  word  Ki"l?3fcO  would  yield  no  suitable  sense. 
'"Dl  "Ity^X  T  JOS]  Baba  kamma  41  a,  &c.  One  ytcrCQ  is  to  be  deleted  as 
dittography.  The  variants  are  insignificant. 

1.  n.  ^N  ^N]  The  paying  of  ransom  and  the  killing  of  the  ox  are 
regarded  as  one  point.  See  the  passage  from  Mekilta  quoted  below. 


130 


HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 


•jn  HN  Nnj»i   • 
*pnyo  T:^N  nini>N  an 

IN3  "JIDDC^N 

p  IN  ai>Ki 
nw  pa  onan 


w  £a  xivxp  i5ni>  p11  INI 

py  HCNPN  twuDi  M^ttpno  i> 

NCNB   jyxux  n  jnoata  n 


nbya 

nv 

«  ID 


HN 


15 


ND  JD  N    nnsn  }on  p  n 

TIN  DBTD  njno  ony  Tnx  ps  Dm  nny  71^  ny^o  nyir^  nn 
cm  y^o  vvhv  tb&o  nyio  na«n  ns  D^D  WK  oni  na«n 

iyio  pt3  ^n  D^O  Dm  D^  prj  D^O  nyio  y^o  tsvhf  20 
K^  nnnsn  p  IIDSI  naaa  n^n  ^  KVKI  ia\ao  D^En3  Dm  rv^yn 
nt»  ivja  trn  ntai  nn  a^nt?  ^  naan  p  niuai  nn-m  a^nty 
moi  HID  iina  njwa  N^  on  nni  nra  a^n  n:«a  njno  mm 
nrvoa  a«n  mi3a  on  nn^cn  p  mnsi  naaa  a^n  mua  N^  nyio 
snin  n5>  p  ^y  aain     *n:o  a^s  rgmvhc      '"isan  p  moui  25 


tun*  JN  NJND:N 


o^a  noan^  ntriai  ^ap  NOI 


p 


nn  DT^N  INS 


in  pnno'i  mn 


1.  12.  ps  INI]  The  word  D?  was  omitted  between  these  two  words  by 
the  copyist. 

1.  14.    fJK]    Read  J*NJ.     JU»  (^u  is  the  ordinary  expression  in  Arabic 

s 

for  cash.  There  can  therefore  be  no  doubt  that  the  author  meant  this  word. 
See  below,  1.  17. 

I.  15.  r2?3]  All  other  abbreviations  in  this  manuscript  are  either  biblical 
words  or  frequently  recurring  terms  like  p?  or  y\.  That  C]¥3  is  abbreviated 
seems  rather  curious.  Is  it  through  the  influence  of  colloquial  Arabic 
where  nus  =  ._  e.~  .'»  ? 

1.  17.  PN3]  Read  |*N3.  See  above,  1.  14.  131  rCTCn]  Mekilta,  p.  93 
(ed.  Weiss).  The  variants  are  insignificant. 

1.  ar.  Baba  kamma  44  b.  Comp.  Tosefta  4,  6.  The  four  cases  that  are 
enumerated  are  not  in  the  same  order  as  in  the  printed  text. 

Fol.  43,  1.  2.   N1|ONin2N]  =  Lo]/^>.l,  the  literal  translation  of  which  is 
It  is  used  here  in  a  more  general  sense,  and  is  the  equivalent  of 
'T3. 


ARABIC    TEXT  131 

1313  ON  'ai  Dia^t?  hono  ton  roa  lit?  DNI  'pa  riNir^K  rvby  nan 
ipi>  mhcnno  DN^N  nn^n  -£13  TT  DIB£B>  hono  '31  '3*  p  IN  ':i  'y 
B>DNI  ni11  Niw  nr  inN  nr  D^  n^t^  13  vrynt?  iyio  DIN  mm*  5 
PN  ohyn  'ipi?  N^N  D3Nn^>N  jo  linm  vi>jm  iyini    :WB^en 

^an  irnT'yn  pi  n^a  ^321  D^ynn  ^333  imTy^  iy  iyiD  IIK> 

.  .       „  .  n^a 

iy  iyio  ma'  ntj'yj  p«  o^yan  yaa  K?I  pi  SJ33  pi  n*a  »3aa  N.  i 

pK'Ni  or  0*3^  »3B3  imi^n  pi  n»3  "33ai  D^yn  »3B3  imi»jj^  iy 
nny  jm  nviy  '3  I^N  nn  »^BTI  DV  D^B'  ^sni  ^trn  DV  D11^  10 
nry^N  i  ^\b  nnnma  nusn11  D^  IN  i^yn  \niyy*  «h  NDNI  nnx 
K>  'ip^  K^os'inax  Nnioa  nov  vf'yn  D3i     "pao  N^N  HIIDB'  i^  PN 
nn  I3i3n  ID  1103  oni  laun  nx  rbwa  iyi»  noi  DIN.I  nx 


»tr  nu  6iN  nns  "]i>i  nity  *B  I^NPI   :  rm  IN  pn  pi  nn^o  pn'-n  nn 
Nn  '31  nxn  ^3^  1313  inpn  N^  CIN  Ni.irsi  DIN  H11!  N^N  WK  IN  15 
D'DB>  n-3  pncn:^  JVIB  p3ni3  i?3N  DIN  HU  pnoio5>  JVIB  p:ni3  PN 

i»y  Nin  n^n  nann  n»v  mo  n^pm  ui  N3l|n  pi  iTprn  ON  NiP 
"133  DN  NEN3  *  me'  nn^'i  b  i3iin  nnN  PNI  1:11.1  nnN 

jni3  Nn-"  n»  'b  IDN  DN  *?\y  '•&  novs  "'ii'1  fx  pi  n> 

h  112X31  V^y  TVSW  p   1DN3  P3D  iIND   fni3   Kil*  H30  HN»  CN  DN1 

:  pi  n'33  p  nioNn  ^N  pi  n'33  ;Sib  IICNH  rby  n^v  no 


1.  3.    Exod.  21.  29-31. 

1.  4.  nVNnnD]  Read  iYvNnnE  =  JL!^££*J  as  the  meaning  demanded 
is  consecutive.  X131  mirP  i]  Tosefta  Baba  kamma  a,  a.  See  also 
Babli  23  b. 

1.  5.    Mekilla,  p.  93  (ed.  Weiss). 

1.  6.    Tosefta  Baba  kamma  2,  2.     See  also  Babli  24  a.     Instead  of 
read 


1.  n.    IN]    Read  JN.     '131  ITyN  H]    Baba  kamma  45  b. 
1.  12.    Ibid.,  41  a.  1.  14.    Mekilta,  p.  3"¥  (ed.  Weiss). 

1.  17.     Sanhedrin  15  b. 

1.  19.    Mekilta  d"  R.  Simeon  b.   Yohai,  pp.  132  f.  (ed.  Hoffmann).     The 
variants  are  insignificant. 

1.  21.    T\W  (first)]    Read  H'B". 


132 


HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 


a  awta  no^  xr6ysa  aspy  nyngfat  xmain  D^>  x^ya  5  }xa 
nK  nya^n  'ipb  r6py  ihi>  ^rn  xoa  nanxx  B>mo  KTOD  -pan  n^N 
nans*  n»via  na3»  Nruoi  D^ot^  IIDD  um  mx  TID  -»Da  nan 

moo  wn  on«  yno  nioa  nan  nona  n^yaon  'p^  ^n^  n^ns  25 
mo  is  Nixn  NDS'ya  nanss  no^na  pyb*  ^a  p^y  ;D 


4b 

DDI  "jsmn  n^n  no 
ina>  n^K  NHJDI   jo11^  moo 

fya  mr^  ix  yN^^s  fya  pab  NHJO 
nxon  »D  jnwm  nxr2n  isxa^  n 
pi  rpa  n^  NWDI  D^^  IIDD  uni  ms 
pi  n>a  n11^.  ripb  xa^ 


ix  xinp 
nvja  pbrtfin  n 
K»I  nonx  ms 


nioa  nan  n»na  vsf?  5 
nip^o  nba 


1.  23.    Tosefta  Baba  kamma  6,  16.     See  Babli  56  a. 
1.  25.    Ibid. 

Fol.  4  b,  1.  i.  H^TilD]  This  word  may  be  either  lji»*  (fourth  conjugation 
of  ^il  he  molested,  harmed),  or  I3.jy«  (fourth  conjugation  of  (jl>y  he  destroyed). 
It  is,  however,  more  likely  that  the  former  is  intended  here,  as  the  latter  is 
specifically  connected  with  destroying  as  a  result  of  vengeance.  See  Lane 
s.v.  Moreover,  no  adjective  or  noun  £**  is  otherwise  known,  whereas 
Dozy  quotes  if-o  veniitteux,  mordant.  It  seems  that  it  is  used  here  as 
a  noun,  and  that  fcONnp  specifies  it.  I  have  translated  it  accordingly. 
r131  il^yS"!]  Tosefta  Baba  kamma  6,  17. 

I.  2.  .V131]  Either  J  jjo  he  substitutes  or  JA!O  he  gives  would  suit  the 
context. 

1.  3-  a^tt>]  This  may  be  either  the  finite  verb  tL>Zw  he  gave  to  drink, 
or  infinitive  t_>.J^.  In  the  latter  case  it  would  be  parallel  to  p^?. 

1.  4.  Ibid.  The  printed  text  is  corrupt,  and  an  entire  sentence  fell  out 
through  homoioteleuton.  It  should  be  emended  in  accordance  with  this 
quotation.  See  also  Babli  Baba  kamma  563  and  Gittin  533. 

1.  6.    Ibid. 


ARABIC  TEXT 


133 


pirn  pn  rva  nrena  Kant?  pix  wan  ' 
-i»x 
xaaa 


DIN  'JH»   T.DD 

h  *a  jnwa  pi  iva  pixa 
fya  anxv  Knaoi  DW  'am  a«m  mx 

nicn  x^  rwoD  xcsnx  p  xn'»  xa'aa  jrnpna  10 


pi  ira 
mo  nnoni? 
im  n^ 
vtmui  nn^i? 

nyaiK  »ib  p 
ma  pian  |n 


n 
0*0^ 


naiyn  nx 
D^KH  xmni  0*0^  "IIDO  I:HI  mx 
p  my  IN  nanNX  ynr  ^"OD  unaoi 
-i3NnD»  NH:OI    *np-inn  IN  noa'-na 
aa»  NCQ 


n!?D3  ••a 


:  nansx 


15 


»antD 


np/nn 


nan 


DDK  ntryn  onai 
sjaiam  nan  ncna 
n»ao  wxi  nanb  nny  yni^ni 
i^n^  moaxa  JD^X  Tax  IN 
a«m  Dnx  yno  "ntja  ppi  20 


nan^  npt?  ny 
ix  nvx  H* 

nms?  B'ln  Ta  m^yan  nx 
xanv  rh  IDDJN  p  «naoi    : 

1.  8.    /£& 

1.  9.    DX3nbx  fya  3nNV]    This  is  an  awkward  phrase.     It£i  is  usually 

*  /'"  ^ 

the  plural  of  Jj^  which  denotes  judge  or  master.  This  does  not  suit  the 
context,  as  the  phrase  can  scarcely  represent  pT  JTQ  nv6?,  for  fyU  would 
then  be  quite  unnecessary,  and  it  would  be  against  the  Arabic  idiom. 
In  colloquial  Arabic  LX&.  is  the  ordinary  word  for  physician,  and  it  is 
possible  that  ^Sl»  is  used  in  that  sense  in  some  dialects  (comp.  I,il£.  and 
ft\S^  <*  servant}.  In  that  case,  however,  it  would  be  required  to  delete 


X¥.  Moreover,  it  is  likely  that  ^5l».  in  that  sense  is  a  modern  creation 
based  on  European  doctor.  The  best  solution  appears  to  me  to  take  the 
X  of  DS3P1  to  represent  a  short  a.  The  phrase  would  then  be  i-ajo  i_*»l« 
,^ssJ  I  =  masttr  of  one  of  the  sciences.  Hefes  advisedly  uses  this  expression, 
as  special  skill  is  required  for  this  kind  of  operation. 

1.  ii.    Ibid. 

1.  13.  in3]  The  text  is  rather  obliterated  ;  but  there  can  be  no  doubt 
that  ina  is  correct. 

1.  15.    Baba  kamma  55  b.     The  variants  are  insignificant. 

1.  19.    Ibid.,  59  b. 

I.  20.    Naii*    =  i—  >k>  <*  vessel. 


134         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


na  mnjM  'ipb  m  nNnbN  ibn  p  yac'a  froi*  oba  DNabN  iboc  "a 
nb  jNVn  b'B*  jy  baNan  p  Nnaci  'ai  onx  »no  "nua  npbo  Nbi 
nao  'ai  DIN  TIO  moa  rrrcyn  Nbi  ibca  nbaa  'ipb  nb'B*  oba 
N'an  rip^  n^n^  r6npa  nna  DS:  ^np 


bix  '•NOB'  11D3  im^i  a^n  Nin  C(DM  nx  nni  NV  mfoth 


^n  n^n  im      "NO  'ai  i»y  ^2  ninn  nnn  mxi  'JB>  a«n  inw  N'-nan 
"•21  HD^SO  r^n  "a  INVH^N  noax  NIN  DT^  NO"a  pyoB'  T  i>Npi  D^DB> 
TJI  pnobsi  P'TO^N  antrc  pa  ND^a  TUWoSt  r^n  -ai  na^wo  I":  T^n 
nicn  t^B'  Dip»  ^3  ppr:a  6i«  nry^N  p  pyoB>  n  n'n  nnn  nyaix 
n  nvn  ywa  nr^i  n?^  i»an  p  iioa  prai>  N^I  pnob  ^aa  a"n  pnob  N^  5 
^yi  mran  i»jn  na^a  ^yi  na-aj  i?yi  nrraa  i?y  iiua  bnni  \vn  ^y  nypam 

N^>  niB»l   pKB'  DIpD  ^31   pT3  "VH  D^D   DH1   D^  pTJ   D^O  lyiD  HQ^ya 

yi  oi'B'  pra  cWts  ^nn  ^yi  j^n  i?y  Biros?  ^  nJ'NB>  nvn  paa  nrb  xh  nji? 
D^B*  pra  D^B'D  nyi»  nta^ya  ^yi  n^ai  ^yi  na^a  ^yi  na^aa  ^yi  nrvaa 
pra  o^tro  ban  by  6is  panta  n  DIN  pyoB>  ni  niybx  n  pra  >vn  cbvn  cm  10 

byi  na^aa  byi  nn^aa  byi  nb^  pra  nbB>?:>  bain  byi  jB'n  by  DIN  cam  obB* 

^b^b'l  pra  "xn  obB^  Dm  obB*  pra  ob^o  nyio  nu^ya  byi  nvai  byi  na^^a 

"a  Nab  nor«b  "va  pnvnabN  pnn  JN  "by  bT  NCDI     rm  xman  nxnnn 

1.  21.    TWrf.,  28  b. 
1.  23.    Ibid. 

1.24.  ICNbN]  =j-*$\.  '131  N"3n]  Kiddushin  433.  Our  text  is 
corrupt  and  should  be  emended  in  accordance  with  printed  edition. 

Fol.  53,  1.  i.    *]Cy]    Read  flCy. 

1.  4.    Tosefta  Baba  kamma  i,  9.     See  Babli  14  a. 

1.  13.  J"l&nnnn]  The  first  "I  is  above  the  line  in  the  manuscript. 
,j  ,so  is  second  conjugation  of  ^.  he  wrote  accurately.  See  Lane  and 
Dozy  5.  v.  It  seems  that  the  author  had  the  word  D'pVT  in  mind.  The 
reading  t^LjAs^  warnings  which  is  textually  possible  docs  not  suit  the 
context. 


ARABIC    TEXT 


135 


ya-oni  yann  nen  on^ya  nv^sa  ^n  'ip  I 
nip  mnn  nonan  nxi  'INI  'an  ns*i  t^Nn  nx  nnni  'at?  n 
nrvo  p  n^yan  Divca  niDi11  v^ya  Dm  ^PD'  -iiB>n  '35?  n^en  n 
fK*i»y  }»  npan  njo  6  ia»  ^*r  yoaa  DNJ^N  Dan  yt:pjs  npi 
ni?  men  mao  n^?  nnb  n^an  jann  DTIP  n:e>  D'-ya-iN  'ipi? 
^n  in  N^  ^onas  na  pnv  "i  DN  xna^n 
n»a  bx  ^TN  n*ia  ^21  snaj  Ninn^  mw  N 
a»D  sac  nn  wipj  N^  »a  xn  PNT  xpi  •"•Nnina  in 
nsnn  ^yan  Niaa  «xnb  n^nnys  ''XDN  n^  nox  N^ 
wnwn  i^  n^  B'npon  n^a  ann  »a»o  inb  6« 

*™o  ai'K  nynt^x 
ptt^K  |vy  jy  ncx  uji  inoa  ^"i^  njwoa  noax  *no  aam  25 


xaa    x  piiN  aip*  IN  xna 
nan^  on  noxn  ^y  onn»K 
^y  n3»  yir'i  INTO  f  tpcbit  n 
i  rrpyxfo  nan?o  DNDN 


IDHND 
IVB> 
non  JD 


o  mnsi 


an 


naiD 


1.  14.    Sanhedrin  2  a. 

1.  18.  Shabbat  15  a,  Sanhedrin  41  a,  'Abodah  zarah  8  b.  The  sentence 
about  niDJp,  which  does  not  concern  us  here,  has  been  omitted  by  the 
author.  The  other  variants  are  insignificant. 

1.  20.  Berakot  58  a.  Our  text  is  much  shorter  than  that  of  the  printed 
edition,  and  the  variants  are  interesting. 

1.  21.   "Nlina]    Read  "NTliTa.    N3D  in]    Read  N30in.    n'tflK]  Read 


1.  25.  l|331]  "<-*c«  tvas  hidden^  concealed.  In  Sa'adya's  translation  of  the 
Pentateuch  aNIfi  was  absent  is  used  here.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that 
"  A  is  the  accurate  rendering  of  Hebrew  DPyj,  and  I  therefore  suspect 
that  3X31  is  a  corruption  of  >3J'I. 


Fol.  5  b,  1.  i.    IS]    Read  }N. 


136         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


yea  2TT1  cnb  isa^  onay  naano'i  maa  m^n  nxbai  n»n^  5 
OKI  'pa  n,Nan  p-irra  INDIAN  HIDE  ^K  inso  yino  'bx  naoybs'  anso 
'ai  jnan  N'am  'ai  myn  "jpr  iaooi  'ai  nxonn  ny-nai  'ai  'yai  'e»  bNna*  rny  ba 
'ji  nan  nx  NWI  'ai  nab  nt^yi  'ai  ia5>n  ^a  nw  'ai  mn  jci  'ai  pan  bam 
}»  n^Ny^N  npasD^s  myn  »apn  bnpn  '•a^yi  i'xnB'11  my  'IP  ••im 
na^vn  nbna  pmao  IT  irsi  ht"W*a  mnvon  myn  bxn^  my  10 
p  SIN  ;n  nn  iir:Nn  bnp  no  bnp  fbnb  "ICNJI  bnp  ia  iuv  is  N^NI  man 
sh  nai  oby:i  'ipb  N^cNa  Nina  xb  Nnaa  nai  oby:i  NCNI  jn  n»a 
ma  PN  n»N  cjian  HN  npyb  pi  n^a  mn  ibxp^  nba  ni»o  ofafftP 
nrn  pnitaa  I^K  nn  niina  mr  nnay  PN  mina  natr  PN  mina 
mina  ^  n»N  nvrxa  pa^n  I^N  nn  jnvpo  buah  ;nvp»  o^pb  15 
n  bax  nnina  n3tt'  jy»  IIDB  nv  naaa  ov  nici^  by  Nan  bax 
n  baN  mina  mr  may  w  IIQD  D'ain  nit^nb 
boab  nin  ej«n  ba  xbi  nan  nan  obyai  fw  pa^n  ib^N  nn 
Nb^N  pa^n  pN  baN  mma  on  B>»  nvrNa  pa^n  ib^N  nn  nvpo  o«pbi 
anpn  abn  by  Nb'N  pa«n  PN  baN  mina  abn  ^  o^o^b  anpn  onn  by  20 

1.  6.    Lev.  4.  13-21. 

1.  10.    5//Va  IVayyikra,  section  4,  a  (p.  19  a,  ed.  Weiss). 

1.  ii.  '131  ID]  76»'rf.,  section  4,  15.  The  word  "1Q  belongs  to  the 
preceding  sentence  in  the  printed  edition.  12]  Read  p.  "llfONn]  Insert 
pi"lb  after  this  word. 

1.  12.    Ibid.,  section  4,  7  ;  Horayot  4  a. 

1.  13.    Horayot  3  b. 

1.  14.    VITn]    A  scribal  error  for  1"Vin. 

1.  15.    K"]    Insert  n"13  after  this  word. 

1.  18.  1"Yin]  The  word  N^N  must  have  fallen  out  here,  for  there  is  no 
place  in  which  this  forms  a  continuous  passage.  From  IHn  onwards  is 
found  in  Tosefta  Horayot  i,  7.  In  Z.  the  sentence  about  apn  is  omitted 
through  homoioteleuton. 

1.  20.  D^CtJ'b]  Z.  has  &&?&.  But  this  seems  to  be  a  genuine  variant, 
and  the  reading  of  our  manuscript  is  perhaps  preferable  :  the  eating  of  fat 
and  blood  is  forbidden  in  all  cases,  but  the  court  erred  and  decided  that  this 
prohibition  is  to  be  restricted  to  sacrificial  blood  and  fat.  The  confusion  in 
Z.  may  have  arisen  through  D^DpI?  in  connexion  with 


ARABIC    TEXT 


i  pa-'n  I^N  nn  o'Dhpat?  S>iaa  ^y 
n  nrco  N/I  "  mvo  'ip!>  «  nivo 
^  xnvp  nbya  TIE 
pi^n  px  'ipi?  ma 
nva  rejute  nt^yn 


pa«n  p« 
K»»  "jbi  ^va^s 
jo  na»t?yn  N    I^N  'ipi    :  pi  n 


137 

mina  Jnaa 


nyop  NH^KB 
o  nson 


vbsyn  rbbx 
i  nna 


HIVD 
nivra 
221 


nosn  pen 

o  NHNID  ^D  N^  N^N  mr  may  nw  pip  '•si  PIP^K  Knn  *a  aana 
by  Nun  nao  pin  na^co  jna  p«  "n^v  nuanp  i>ai  'ipb  nwx  nwanp 

mr  miay  n^yen 


130D1  iTiyae'  nnnvon  my  'ipb  my^N  -nx  ;o  a  n^y  1^1  ^ys  ar 
nasn  pa*  JN  aa»i  nt^  nn  hps?  n  n*3  P^  Q^ty  nn 


anyo  »a^a  vaai  nni»a  *oy  n»n  ^na  jna  ' 


pava  * 


nna    N  nnrran 


nna    s  nan* 
pn  'ipb  nmaNoy  y^oa  anto  *i?np*s  nanc^  pino  10 


*nao 


on  "{rh  cnxs  monaD^M  pya  Nino  ^yas 


nosn 


'  *y  aam 
IN  nxuaa 


nan  jhho 


nyavsa  non  J 

1.  22.    Sifra,  section  4,  n. 

1.  24.    Tosefta  Horayot  i,  8.     See  Babli  8  a. 


Fol.  6  a,  1.  3.    Menahot  92  a,  Tosefta  10,  9. 

4.    /£«'<£,  62  b,  88  a,  92  b. 

.  5.    Ibid.,  93  a.    The  reading  is  slightly  different. 

.  6.    Sanhedrin  13  b,  Sifra  Wayyikra,  chapter  6,  i.  2  (ed.  Weiss,  p.  19  b). 
The  passage  is  abridged,  and  R.  Simeon's  view  is  given  anonymously. 
.  8.    Yoma  35  b.     See  also  Tamid  30  b.     The  variant  is  insignificant. 
.  9.    Sifra  IVayyikra,  chapter  6,  4  (p.  19  b). 
.  10.    Ibid.,  6,  8  (p.  i9c). 


138         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

nnp<  JNI  HDNDS  nay  na^a  mpxai  rrrjn6«  nano  jKaiK  ^y  15 
HKD3  jy  DNDN^K  ruy  -laanoM  HON^D^X  nan  on^a  ncntj>  yea 
nxi  'ai  pan  nph  IT  IDDI  'ai  N  jnin  IN  '31  'on*  tppj  IPX  'pa  r6  iaa»a 
>£n»*  nr  K^tw  wn  npx  'ipb  Nate  rmp'a  Knpa  'IP  NDN  ';i  i^n  ^a 
iob»  lyc^  DIN  Kin  ^  ji>nh  vnfo  "  mvo  ^ao  nnx  n^jn  'w  n^on 
vn^K  1|<''1  K^K  va:  ^y  PKB>  K»t?3  f?rf?  TIDNH  vn^K  no  vn^K  «  HN  nsT^  20 
vi»K  ynn  IN  N^NS  vn^x  A  K^K  vaa  ^y  rKB>  N^J  p  nicsn  vn^K  «JK 
B'  tfh  V^K  jnin  r<ip^  nxoaa  in  nnaiyo  ^npsi  inxon 
K^  V^K  yrin  b^  6^n  D^^  ib  HDK  ^"DN  pJ»  onn« 
^  i?3p  N^J  xai'D  n:ia  <a  n^y  aa>  ND:ND  jxanp^x  Nnni 
n  n^y  a:i  TI»  NCNQ    "uvin  Nini  Kon^a  N^I  K^J  Kim  Kunt^a  35 


6b 

p  nanp^a  naip  ja*  obi  rote  p  y^a  on  Kate  njia  *a 

pi  ininwo  nay  na  IHKI  NDHB>  rvvo  jna  'ipb  n^i  nya 

K^JI  ta  N'ao  n^t^  ininao  nay  na  inNi 
^y  aa^a  nay  nate  bsr  npi  man  onpo^K  Koafo  Kt:ax  }N 
^^  nnKi  min»jw:D  nay^  n^o  jna  'ipb  n^Ky^K  p  nnxia  jxanp  5 
is  xn»  n»wo  jna  son  ^^  nnKi  in^nao  nay^  K^:n  pi 
y  aain       *nao  A^K  nyn^K       :  umna 


1.  17.    '1J1  Tki'N]    I-ev.  4.  22-6.     IT]    Insert  31  after  this  word. 

1.  18.  The  first  part  is  in  Horayot  loa,  and  the  second  in  na.  See 
also  Sifra  Wayyikra,  section  5,  i  (p.  19  c).  Perhaps  N^N!  fell  out  before  pn?. 

1.  22.  Sifra  IVayyikra,  chapter  7,  i  (p.  20  a).  See  also  Keritot  1  1  b. 
The  part  of  the  Sifra  not  necessary  for  our  subject  is  omitted  here. 
Otherwise  the  variants  are  insignificant. 

1.  24.  Horayot  10  a.  See  Sifra,  section  5,  2  (p.  19  d).  The  variants  are 
phraseological. 

Fol.  6b,  1.  2.    Horayot  pb. 

1.  5.  /fo'rf.  The  word  jna  is  omitted  before  !TB>D  in  the  printed  text. 
But  see  Mishnah  3,  2. 


ARABIC    TEXT  139 

,  ,  BNW 

nxua  *py  on  xmy  nxTncbx  pya  ?ysa  xino  xaax  xix  ncKybK 

y  rpT  uo^a  ITDT^  jxi^N  ix  Ty»ta  f»  TUX  naxanp  Tix11  IN 
by  nyavxa  XHDI  jo  DXOX^>N  jrn  nTy:6x  jrSno  »a  nain  nn  10 
yra  KM  Nnonsy  ywm  HDXDX  i:y  »pK3$>N  a^i  nTy^x  naiD 
va  DXOX^X  r6  isanD11!  n^y  nnp^a  HDK^D^K  pnxnp       nn^ 
v^x  ynin  IN  'ai  p«n  nyo  naa^a  xonn  nnx  e^aa  DXI  'pa  n^ 
'ai  n»  nx  ICDI  'ai  B'na  DX^  'ai  nabn  b  nxi  'ai  none  inan  nph  'ai  n»  nx 

n^pa  by  w  pnpi'x  «in  'ai  ni?n  b  nxi  ai  6nn  on»  jnan  np^i  15 
p  n^n  x^naa  taxyta  xoxa  n^n  »B  pn  ira  x'-nai  x^  n^naa  ^cy 
n  ripij  my  DPXD  ixmpi'x  aiai  xn^pa  x^  ix  JXD  xrvps  i?i  ^  XID 
nnx  yn  pi  n'-a  nn  n^r^xa  nioa  pn  n"aa  nhn  a^n 


ja  pyiDB'ai  '•xry  ja  pyoca  nxnin    nxn  T'on  ix 
in  nnwya  6^  6^n  a«n  xn1"  ha11  jn^a  ^y  n^yi  n»n»n  ^m  sen  20 
$>y  niayb  pi  n^a  inin  xifxi  IIDB  pi  n»aa  rfov\  yn  icvya 
on^a  ^y  aatr  ntryi  n^nfl  ^^^l  mina  nmoxn  nivo  ^30  nnx 
new  ivy  x^  pal  nnnnx  n^yi  ivyv  pai  onoy  new  iK'yB'  pa 


ny»  x»xa  pi  n^aa  n?n^  ijao  TIDB  nr 
JD  Normal  xunn  nnx  traa  nxi  xn^a  hpoi'x  traa^x  p 


1.  8.  HEXypX]  Neither  of  these  words  is  crossed  out,  and  it  seems  that 
the  copyist  did  not  make  up  his  mind  which  was  the  right  reading. 

1.  9.  TyE?X]  Sa'adya  has  fyXE.  But  JJU,  which  is  a  collective  noun, 
is  a  more  correct  rendering  of  D^Ty. 

1.  12.  Ont^]  In  the  text  there  is  some  space  after  this  word.  There 
are  traces  of  an  erasure.  But  no  word  is  missing. 

1.  13.    Lev.  4.  27-35. 

1.  17.  Sifra  Wayyikra,  section  7,  8  (p.  21  d).  See  Horayot  2  b.  The 
reading  of  our  text  a^n  X!"P  ?13H  may  be  a  scribal  error  for  TIES,  or  may 
be  a  genuine  variant  involving  a  different  interpretation  of  this  Halakah. 
The  other  variants  are  certainly  genuine. 

1.  21.    Horayot  2  a. 

H.  M 


140         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

trip's  nnN  nmt^ya  NKND  w&&  trie  pxn  DJ;»  'ip$>  ornx^ 
laiNyn  JN  NExa  i>ya!?N  ira  N^>  jN:np^N  n^y  ar  ni»«  beta 
aa11  D^a  fKanp^K  n^ys-a  by  aa»  nta  f»j?sb«  n^a  Nino  ibraa  nysoa  5 

'ipi>  NV-N  onnywoa  ^y  «bi  nbn^  JNIIP  DHJJO  into  b 
ON  OIK  miiT  i  a«no  TWO  i  0*3^  inw»n  n^n  omn 

i  jnioa  IN!?  OKI  |1|a'|lpn  D^S?  inwxini  iK"vin^  nnx  h 


a  xn  nnxpo  nt^ya  xh  n^a  nK'ya  nns  nn^ya  pan  urn  10 
^nni  njpa  paniai  Dtthfa  ptaaw^  naiaa  praih  r:^a  prniK 


m  n^an  ^  ^aya    nnt^ya  D^  b^n  pa^n  in-'  i?ia»  o»ann 

BIK  min»  i  D»ain  nwi^  inwxim  H^JKW  xnipa  c^ann 

W  pyoty  i  pmoa  wb  DW  pa»n 

plica  D^^  inix^ini  »W>n   nnx    la11  tp  *B       SJM  15 
Kin  *a  'ipi  pnios  wjw  D»a«y  3«n  n^yty  n^n<  nnt^ya 

jnin  IN  "»  mv»  xip^  ajs^s  *a  p^iKonoa  vi>K  ynin 


^s  fya  ^yaa  xoaN  JD  ^y  ajin          :  nao  ib 
caa^N  jo  n^nv  t^aaa  int?  IN  DHN  np  naxa  o^y  oh  nh'B  jy  NHJD  20 
DNI  'pa  n^  nara  mno  jy  nay  naano11!  DNDN^N  b*  DHN^N  jNanp!? 
JN  bpa^N  }»vn  'ai  Nin  D^N  'n  6  D*»n  ^N  N^am  'n  *vy\  NDHH  ^a 
DNyni>N  }»  pyia  nnnvna  j«a  NO  INDJN  p  n3»  np  ino^N 
niN  jo  m>  th\  NomnN  jo  5>aKB  nNao  nax^Ni  nicno 


Fol.  7  a,  1.  3.    Ibid.,  it  a.     Sifra  Wayyikra,  section  7,  6  (p.  21  d). 

1.  5.    n^3]  =  S^AS  totality,  entirety. 

I.  6.  Shabbat  92  b.  The  variants  prove  that  our  author  had  a  different 
text. 

1.  ii.  "13133]  The  readings  13"13  and  13"l3  are  recorded  in  the 
dictionaries,  and  now  a  third  variant  is  added.  1313,  however,  appears  to 
be  the  most  likely. 

1.  13.  tO1p3]  Read  iTVlpa.  The  following  word  was  crossed  out  by 
the  copyist. 

1.  21.    Lev.  5.  17-19.  1.  24.    KOmK]    Read 


ARABIC    TEXT  141 

7b 

bay  is  TIN  irrN  IT  nbi  pmnN  TINI  m:y  nmxi  nnair  n:Na  IN  brix 
|N»r  «j  IN  j«a  biabN  JNDT  »B  brcybN  ibi  bn  TP  oh  ND  INDT  ••D  Nboy 
ininNi  iriB>N  baN  po  nPN  jm*  PNI  po  IHN  HN  baN  nab  }on  abn  'ipb 
bin  DVI  nnty  a:^  jno  nr^sa  yn11  PNI  p»  nnxa  s:^  n^a  icy 
NDNQ  •'ibn  DK'N  N^no  n^y  po  nrs'n  ynv  PNI  po  nnsn  n^Nbo  5 
H  nbya  ppnn  *no  n>by  na^a  nna  xnoxy  nbaw  ^y  aa»  mno  vny  bs* 
imr  by  pa«ne>  nm  'ipb  »ibn  DtrN  p-ip  nbi  *a  nas?  '•byvnNtan  pip 
nxon  K»ao  abn  baiNn  DIN  Na^py  n  »ibn  D^N  ipao  nNDn  inj:^  byi 
abn  bs?  nann  D^ybo  ya>a  *ibn  DPN  N^D  b^N  Nb  pao  baN  pao  yboa 
[njsun  Nsao  bas*  \rto  VN  jn'.»  w«i  fno  nnN  HN  baN  nnia  n^a  btr  nanni  10 
nby  IN  ND3N  np  jNa  HJN  jNanpbNa  »n«  IN  nya  ppnn  JNB    pibn 
^a  ninnyb  fanpbb  bnicbN  JNVH^N  nn"an  Tasn  ara  »oa»  ob  H 
anp^b  Niax  NJNVH  n3»na  Nin^i  nbnb  yNa^b  Na^y  myn  J 
ib  yni3  IN  Nnntr  ib  yii3  la  inNi  *ibn  D^N  N^aon  'ipb  na*u  pip 
nyi^  DIN  Dam  TND  i  an  nya  nyi'i  NV  ib  na>y»  HD  NDH  Nb^  15 
•IJD  fbN  nyiB'bN        :  naub  VDT  iba^i 


Fol.  7  b,  1.  1.  pmnN]  This  is  very  likely  a  colloquial  form.  In  classical 
Arabic  we  would  prefer  ^lj^a.1  .  1PPN]  Read  JiTN. 

1.  3.    Keritot  17  b.     See  Stfra  Wayyikra,  section  12,  3  (p.  26  c). 

1.  7.  Three  separate  passages  are  quoted  here.  It  is  possible  that  the 
word  NifNl  fell  out  before  Na'py  1  and  before  ilDHn.  The  first  two 
passages  occur  in  Stfra  Wayyikra,  sections  12,  6  and  12,  8  (p.  26  d),  respec- 
tively, while  the  third  is  in  Tosefta  Keritot  3,  8.  Z.  has  abn  bt?  naTin 

'i3i  abn  be>  naTim  snip  biaa. 

.  f  t*f>0 

1.  12.  7H1D/N]  This  may  represent  Jjfc»JI  that  is  worthy  or  fit,  a.  mean- 
ing which  is  not  quite  suitable.  As  i"l,  !"!,  and  fl  are  not  infrequently 
confounded  in  this  manuscript,  I  should  like  to  suggest  the  reading 

.  ,  tm*'o~  .»* 

pniD/N  =  J-H^'  prepared,  arranged.     Comp.  Freytag  JJI  sanctificavit  opes 
suas  data  Deo  ex  lege  portione  debita. 

1.  14.  Keritot  23  b.  The  few  additional  words  in  our  text  are 
explanatory. 

M  3 


142         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


"N  inN11  IK  mr  may  p  *e>  '•a  nno  nysca    y  aain 

ryo^N  p  ninyi  ar  Nca  rumm  nnnni  .rryv^  nina 
rwn  'ai  '«  nw  HN  'ai  «?yn  N^I  vu?n  "21  'pa  or&  iwa  cnb  isano^ 
m&>  »a  xnai  np  'ai  my  ^&  H^DJI  'ai  }nan  naai  'ai  xnyn  -"j^yo  CN  20 

mn  *a  n-iN^N^Ni  pnnjo  ^N  na  IK^D  nbn  IN  'ai  '^  my  ^a  DNT 
^a  f?rb  miCNn  my  no  my  |W>  wi  my  ;a  noNJ  ^pi>  NX-N  DH^MB 
[Kjini  •mnv6  rwn  D^a  V.TK'  ny  p  H-IIDNH  my  ejs  nrarb 
[a]inan  mr  maya  DIK  nn«  'h?  i^  Wn  mr  may  ;o  »tr  SDD 


8a 

DK  n»m  oib  6^n  minaa'  nivon  bo  nnxa  K^K  ir«  IN  nano 
it  irni  novy  ^aa  mom  n  mso  ainan  in"  ';i  xya  myn  ^yo 
aain       nao  ri^N  npnt^M       *mr  may 
anp11  IN  mr  may  ;o  ^  -a  NIHD  KDa[N] 
'ai  naatra  NBnn  nnx  &'S3  DNI  'pa  rb  isa^i  DNON^JN  nay  nDano[i|i]  5 
na  »n«D^«  p  inota  Nnn  IN  ^y  ^^n^Ni  Vn  »(aan  i»y  jn^n  naa[i] 
^a  ^aa  nnM  mr  may  Va  xunn  nnx  trsa  OKI  'ip  mr  may 
n^ai  n^o  TW  N11^  m^y^  IN  natra  rrby  N^ao  n>rrn^  nison 
nyapa  ;nh  n^y  "i^onr6  n^ao  nN^no  ainan  nn  na  pN"ao  p[n] 
nNDni?  nnat5>  na  ry  n^y  pN^ao  rvvm  N^J  Tirn  Nn 


1.  19.  Num.  15.  22-6.  The  words  "IK'N  ?a  (ver.  23)  are  omitted 
through  oversight. 

1.  21.    jmao]    Read  pT!3D. 

1.  22.     Horayot  4  b. 

1.  24.  Stfre  Numbers,  section  in  (p.  31  b,  ed.  Friedmann).  The  variants 
are  phraseological. 

Fol.  8  a,  1.  5.    Num.  15.  27,  28. 

1.  7.    Sifre  Numbers,  section  112  (p.  32  b). 

i.  9.  n^ao]  Read  D^ao. 

1.  to.    KiTBf]    Read  inn?. 


ARABIC    TEXT  143 

bx  nbca  p  ICK  »n  »nb«  pme&M  6bx  nnt?  n»n  :n^[iB] 
bbx  nynspbn  jNman  b^sbs*  &nn  »B  sman  mrobK  nyn[B>] 
nayii  narore  'by  -jbn  TV  IK  nj3D>  oh  pno  ban  ^  icKn 

'pa  ibn  nan  pnoobtf  'b«  nrb  y^a11  jx  T.bn  no<p  i[x] 
mpn  ^  wniB'  "D  *B  N^BXB'  NniB>  nyne^K  mn  KSHI^  np  'ai  15 
nan  n?  nan  jy  *aanoa  a^M  ^S^N  bi«  *B  'ay  nn[y] 
s^na  pnynt?  jcxnoi'N  nao 


paN  pin  nan?  ny  jn^  «[]  20 
IN  TWB  nanpn  bap  fsab  sh  jm  xb  jxinp^N  Ni[n] 
js  bap  p  wxnb  Nn'-by  yii  INI  nanpn  aa>  NO  anp1'  jx  nya  J[D] 
'ipb  naiabbt*  I:DK  nya  xnao  nanpn  aa^  NO  aip1*  jx  rwa  xnanp 
"oso  naiab  n^ao  no  ^aso  n  HNDH  *a  Dib  bn  bos  naiab  jna  DN 


1.  it.  ntJHD]  Insert  IT  after  this  word.  The  sentence  from  OEn  to  the 
second  Nn"13T  is  misplaced.  It  should  obviously  be  put  after  K3i*in  (1.  16), 
at  the  end  of  the  ninth  precept. 

1.  12.  Nn~OT]  The  second  Nmai  is  redundant,  and  should  be  deleted. 
It  seems  too  awkward  to  consider  the  whole  phrase  Nm31  PSSPN  N1H  ''D 
as  an  explanatory  gloss. 

1.  14.  Exod.  22.  2.  This  precept  is  given  here,  perhaps,  on  account  of 
Lev.  5.  20-26.  He  does  not  quote  the  latter  verses  here,  as  they  were 
probably  fully  discussed  in  the  second  book. 

1.  15.  SHBJW]  The  text  is  not  quite  legible  here.  *B  are  joined  together 
in  a  manner  which  is  rather  unusual  in  this  manuscript.  At  first  sight  one 
is  inclined  to  read  NTDSt?.  But  I  have  no  hesitation  in  reading  N^DNt?,  as 
the  former  gives  no  sense.  For  the  expression  comp.  Khazraji's  Pearl- 
strings,  297,  2;  442,8.  Ordinarily  .&»  means  he  cured;  but  the  secondary 
signification  he  satisfied  is  given  by  Dozy.  See  also  P]N5J>  DN?3  (Abu'l- 
Barakat  Hibat  Allah's  Commentary  on  Ecclesiastes,  specimen,  ed.  Poznanski, 
ZfHB.,  XVI,  p.  33,  1.  4,  text).  The  St.  Petersburg  MS.  has  5JN3.  But 
there  is  no  doubt  that  f)N5J',  being  the  rarer  word,  is  the  correct  reading. 

1.  19.    Lev.  5.  n. 

1.  23.  Sifra  Wayyikra,  chapter  19,  5  (p.  25  a).  See  Menahot  59  b. 
The  clauses  unnecessary  in  this  connexion  are  omitted. 


144         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

8b 

px  n^y  xiw  JCB^K  »a  ifopi  }Bpi£  ha'  pxt?  fE&ra  taei  DDP^  ha* 
ta  QDpta  tonne?  Dn       n»TB>  i>y  xin  jrm  •  jnw 
Axman  TWB^M  njr 


ny  p  pen      >K  cxn  ep 
[»a]  nn^N  »ai  jinn  nh  p  D^  f»  nniD^N  >^y  n^t  anpn  yj 
oopjn  nynp  Sb  in*  nh 


jon*  NOHJD     xN  peep  nopn  fKDr*  «nn  »a 
a  ysnc'  f  ^in11  a^K  DDP^N  NW  y^xn^  ii  jDi'n11  a^K 
pcop  ncpjn  INDT^N*  «nn  "a  Nn^ya  oih  xb  iH  T:I  ni^N  p  *ni?«  10 

*«*n3  pnyniy  jniTP  a^x    "NICK  yjtnB'  n  loin11  NCWO  ^N^K 
nopjn  nT-ii  DIQ^K  o»pi  ^XION^N  'a  npnt!'  x*  icin11  i^x  DDP^X 
n  iroxn11  XIDHJO  hx^x  INOT^X  xnn  -a  xn!?ya  orh  x^  poop 
nth  noxix  y^xntr  5  jEiJT  ^xn^x  x^ra  nn^ni  NICK  xruo  n 
DDpi'x  n"iB>    *nynB>  ^  yc^x    "jwaci  jxcr  ^3  "a  xn^ya  15 


Fol.  8b,  I.  i.  DUp]  Read  HDp'.  i£2p]  Read  IDpj.  '1J1  Hy] 
Si/ra  Wayyikra,  chapter  19,  5  (p.  25  a).  The  reading  is  slightly  different. 

1.  4.  npiyatD/X]  This  leaf  which  is  the  last  of  the  fascicle  is  pasted  to 
the  following  fascicle,  and  the  words  at  the  end  of  the  lines  are  therefore 
obliterated,  a  and  p  are  fairly  visible. 

s  *-- 

1.  5-  XyiDH]  =  IcJaS  doing  something  which  is  not  obligatory.  The 
preceding  part  dealt  with  sacrifices  which  one  was  obliged  to  bring  in  order 
to  expiate  his  sins  ;  but  in  the  present  book  the  author  treats  of  free-will 
offerings. 

1.  7-  }1DW]  As  a  rule  V  which  =  ^  has  a  diacritical  point.  This 
word,  however,  forms  an  exception. 

1.  8.    plDDp]    DDp  here  means  a  sub-section. 

1.  10.  ~Q;>X]  The  curved  line  over  the  a  evidently  stands  for  a  damma, 
which  differentiates  this  word  from  Jj  and  "J". 

1.  13.  The  clause  fXE^X—  DT^  i6  should  be  transposed  after  XTU  in 
the  following  line.  See  below,  fol.  15  b,  11.  4  f. 


ARABIC    TEXT  145 


y  xb  Kirnv  NISI  m  TIN"  JK  ipabx  jo  nTjn?  anpra 
tni  nm»  en  *nb  laj^b  norai  'by  .TT  iao»  on  ivnobx  K3a  *bn  n»a 
L'Jiyi  i?Qi  on  linobN  xaa  axn  nay  nb«  nanobx  'by  NTIJIDO  non 
DN  rpa  xnfco^w  mo  FJ-I^X  ^oa  nyn  nno^M  ^y  iwi>«3  pnn^  on 
'31  wnai  ':i  o^ani  'ai  onw  'ai  'T1  nx  poi  'ai  'pan  p  wanp  rby 

anpn  misn  *b«  n^»  'ai  nna  ^N  nhp  *'ai 
^  D^n  inna  i?y  /ia»  inx  pawt?  noi'o  in«  anp»  'i 


9  a 

'an  K'ao  ^y  IT  *poi  'ipi  '3K  rwn  ION^  iy  in«  pata 

rwiai  'ipi  ptamB'  paciDB'  QiP^a  'ip^  1^3  Nb  pV3oi?K  yvi 
nmpy  asna^K  N3^  -DT>  D^  ••n^K  ntry  nivo  by  nwnta  1x1233 


p»»  '•ns  n^yn  x    nw» 

31  3  ny  rfo  n^nin  «h  'ai  ^twi  nta  '31  o^aan  ^y  DNH  npn 
by  nosn  ns  ib  n^n:  mp»n  no  by  ib  nxn:  nipont^  n»bo  ibi  »a  ' 
OK>  »T3  nn^o  pi  n^ 


1.  19.  *i*y^]  The  last  >  is  faintly  visible.  The  word  is  a.  denominative  of 
»Jic  °  member,  limb.  The  indicative  is  meant  here,  unless  we  assume  that 

Mf 

the  final  *•  is  a  mere  mater  lectionis,     Sa'adya  has  J^y1"  which  is  the  jussive. 

1.  20.    Lev.  i.  3-9. 

1.  22.  rUHpn]  The  il  makes  the  construction  very  cumbersome,  and 
should  be  deleted.  NB>]  The  W  is  faintly  visible,  while  the  K  is  entirely 
torn  off.  But  thei  e  can  be  no  doubt  that  *li  is  right. 

1.  23.    Sifra  Wayyikra,  section  3,  15  (p.  5  c),  Kiddushin  50  a,  &c. 

Fol.  9  a,  1.  2.    Menahot  93  a,  Sifra  Wayyikra,  section  4,  i  (p.  6  a). 
1.  4.    '131  ITB>Xn]    Deut.  22.  8.     "Dl  IB'yi]    Num.  15.  38. 
1.  6.    "131  Hpn  fc<b]    Deut.  22.  6,  7.     '131  WHin  «bl]    Exod.  12.  10. 
1.  7.    Sifra  Wayyikra,  chapter  4,  8  (p.  5  d).     The  use  of  HiHJ  and  HJflD, 
especially  the  former,  of  our  text  is  better  than  rUTH  of  the  printed  edition. 


146         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

mno  Dipon  no  by  nicx  ftwy  •nn  moBW  nixon  D'yaix  mpbo 
nrva  fsnaabNi    *r\vy  Dip  cna  tw  nt?yn  xb  nivo  byi  ntry  nwo  by  10 

"pID  nXPN3  N-iTX  HD-DD^N  "D1  ^T   »D  'ipb  ysbpsbx  DH   INnpX^X  y» 

n3T  be>  rnp  *nB*  pa  vn^  »nB»  men  niycn  VJST  peva  nciy  rar  SH 
pnn  nan  iTn  xh  v  ^y  IT  VT  rwo  n>n  N^»I  nrnn  -33  ^y  vn»  n«ao  n\n  xh 
by  nson  py  nxon  by  rrvay  py  vby  mviw  nmpb  DH*  pa 
n  nm  -ni  onb  PKB*  nx'-ai  nratn  Dpb  py  nbiy  by  net's  py  15 

}nn  B**B*  onan  nnsan  nbiy  no  by  na»py  n  ib  DIN  ^ban 
byi  n^y  nivo  by  n-is^o  nbiy  no  by  mien  jrtw  n^yn  xb 
jnab  TNJN  »borro  N'bp  uncn  nbipni    *nB»y  Dip  nn  B»»B»  nt^yn  xb 
onayai  onrai  0^33  mt^a  b^3  nn-n^  'ipb  nai»  IN  N^N  nT:i 

pyaw  D"N»t2n  V,T  xbt^  nabai  D^tnp  »Bnp3  ib'ssi  D"NCD3i  »o 
xb  no'-Nbxn  nsisaca  nx  oynsn  pns  ya  ia»npm  NOND    '••iB' 
7ipi  'onx  baa  mt^a  nc^nsj'  bas  n:ns  mv»  ibni  nbapo  xipb 

aiibb  rrmoobH  nancbw  .TINT  "by  oibx  K>T  "irnp"  3*30 
jnB*  n:no  *na*  'ipb  pn^bxi  bso^bb  rrwoobn  pmttrbn  "by 


p"osn  nxp«a  xn  ipnji  nib  rbbn 
aabtn  prhn  DNibx  mi  mmoD  xiryNa  vnnab  mix  nn:i  ripi 


1.  ii.  yNpN?X]  Removal  (infinitive  fourth  conjugation  of  xl.s).  It 
evidently  refers  to  the  removal  of  the  hands  from  the  sacrifice.  X121  liTtO] 
Tosefta  Menahot  10.  12  •  see  also  Babli  Yoma  363.  A  comparison  of  these 
two  passages  with  our  text  will  prove  the  superiority  of  the  latter,  where, 
however,  we  have  to  insert  the  clause  3"iyca  1"JQ1  aiyO3  *p1D1  which  has 
been  omitted  through  homoioteleuton. 

1.  19.  Zebahim  31  b,  Sifra  Wayyikra,  section  4,  2  (p.  6  a).  Slight  variants 
in  phraseology. 

1.22.    Sifra,  ibid.,  Zebahim  323.     Slight  difference  in  phraseology. 

1.  24.    Zebahim  53  b,  Sifra  Wayyikra,  section  4,  9  (p.  6c). 

Fol.  9  b,  1.  i.    Sifra.  ibid.     See  Zebahim,  ibid.     Our  text  differs  at  the 


ARABIC    TEXT  147 


nx  irnn     n  »a  'ip 

b"6  nby  DHVI  nx  inin  'ai  Dsyon  nx  in*n  ia 
xa  'ai  ivaoM  jan^  nby  'ai  n;nn  nx  ^3  'ai  crcnpn  nx  $>D3  'ai  .-enin  5 


o^vyn  b  'ip^  D-OI  jinsr  nt^3  NID  KO  JM  NH^N  B'xn  ^ 

3N  }aa  ^i  n^r  ^  pn 


K  naT  on  n^s  n^y  N    Nn"nx  xnan  na  •'nx11  IN  DK  j?o  10 
^ 


pin  y 

nn3i  rai  LJH^I  'ai  7np  fsxn  ID  cxi  'pa  yx-irN^Ni  nao  CIW^K  i>ca  *iya  pirn  en 
na  Dipn  NO  aon  nyisao  xiyNQ  nroi  'ai  D^ynani  aipni  'ji  inx 
\i  NQ  ^y  xmsyvN  on  nyn^N  mn  ^ap  '•n^N  nynt^N  ••a  saniB' 

*Dn<tnnab  D^nn:  px  vnnab  'ipb  nanc^x  ^y  n^y  15 
m»ys  anpna  ^wnoh*  ncxn  "n:»  a'^x  nyn^x 

nano^N  ^x  DXKX^X  noip»  ixi  nxcn  ixia  ix  p3sa^  i?i  pa*  ix  TXD^X  p 
yra*  en  4^  nanc^x  ta^xn  ^y  non  \wi  naio^x  ^y  nnnp^  noxn  rn11  on 


end  from  the  printed  edition  ;  but  the  Yalkut  proves  that  the  original  reading 
is  here  preserved. 

1.  3.    Tamid  31  a. 

1.  5.    Instead  of  HTHH  J1X  bvi  the  printed  edition  has  a'l  apj. 

1.  7.    Ibid.,  zg  a.,  Sifra  Wayyikra,  chapter  6,  4  (p.  7  b). 

1.8.    ni13lO3]    Printed  editions  have  n^aica. 

1.  12.     yNirX^XI]     Fol.  8  b,  1.  20,  Hefes  uses  ynX^X^X  which  is  the 

more  regular  plural  of  c  l^i.     '121  DX1]    Lev.  i.  10-13. 
1.  15.    Sifra  Wayyikra,  chapter  7,  3  (p.  8  a). 


1.  18.  1¥G>V)]  The  root  La*  in  the  second  conjugation  is  given  in  Mul.1t 
al-Muhlt  and  by  Dozy  in  the  sense  of  draining  to  the  last  drop.  As  the  1  is 
clear  in  our  text,  we  may  suppose  that  the  first  conjugation  also  existed, 
though  it  is  quite  possible  that  the  author  wrote  <l.  In  Sa'adya's  translation 
there  is  VsTC11  which  is  obviously  a  mistake  for  '•XC'1.  Derenbourg's  note 
there  is  erroneous. 

I  f  *-•  —  O** 

1.19.    n/¥1H,  X]    iLsja.  =  gizzard.   Mishnic  ppl'p.    That  is  how  Sa'adya 


148 


HEFES  B.  YASLIAHS  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


spyn  ID  DNI  PD  roTo        y  xmnp'i  Kfins*  t*     nTix::  iva'  en  20 
p  p  NJIDN  'ai  'aa  in«  yDE>i  6  ns  Tom  ':i  pan  nnpni  ':i  'p 
nwvi  paobc^H  1x23  JN  px  ruvn  »ja  ID  IN  omnn  JD 


nnan 


}D 


10  a 

^N  ia\nrt!'D  piK'a  pnin  - 
i»xaD  rn  *sn?»a  V^N-I  nx 

a^  JN^  niaua  i?^  y»ca  nobw 
nnx  an  is  nns  nno^nsw  DB'ai  bnao 

^lD  Kin  ^   5J1JJH  HNDH3  p^lCB>  DtWI 

mn  nniysh  f^H3io  n»n  ejiyn 


niatsn 


3i<Tsn 


ip^n^x  on 
w  piavn  p 

311  IN  1HN 


/ioa 


mayo  in  I 

translates  nN"1lD.  ilDJKpPKI]  This  is  the  equivalent  of  !"lif3  .  Sa'adya  also 
gives  the  same  translation.  But  this  word  is  more  correctly  spelt  iLijls. 
p^P]  =  JPJ  a  s'de>  border.  See  Dozy.  pT  in  Sa'adya's  translation  is 
incorrect. 

1.  20.  *]i'a']    Read  ^JfB\     131  DN1]    Lev.  i.  14-17. 

1.  3i.    yDlJ'l]    Insert  jl  before  this  word. 

1.  25.    Hullin  22  b,  Sifra  Wayyikra,  chapter  8,  5  (p.  8  c). 

Fol.  10  a,  1.  1.  13\-|Xstr»]  The  printed  editions  have  laVirBIO  here  and 
ITHX^'D  in  the  second  place.  It  is,  however,  evident  that  our  text  has 
preserved  the  original  reading.  The  Baraita  gives  one  limit  for  both  :  when 
they  become  yellow.  The  Q  and  3  admirably  indicate  the  termini  a  quo 
and  ad  quern,  respectively. 

i.  2.  nnsta  bsBo]  =  ^^3T  jJu. 

1.  3.    nD/N1]     ^  or  q^  =  the  gullet. 

\.  4.  Resume  of  Tosefta  Zebahim  7,  4.  8.  Perhaps  the  word  jl  fell  out 
in  a  few  places. 

1.  7.  131  1T1]  Zebahim  64  b,  &c.  '131  nXT^NS]  Tosefta  Zebahim  7.  4. 
Insignificant  variants. 


ARABIC    TEXT  149 


vniyavN  TIP  pa  n^n  »nB>  vniyara  *3B>  pa  maa  *w  jnu  spyn 
irNi  nany  hco  piava  P^IE  rrm  vniyavK  *aa  ^y  msw  nnio  rrm 
ID  IHN  an  IN  inN  nnuwt?  n^ai  nation  iv  ^y  n»i»  mm  ^"ia»  10 

nao  i/N  nyn^K          :nnN  an  IN  nnn 
wynani  wnnai  wjTKani  Nm^yi  N3n\xam  xjiysw  ^ero  IN 
nxai  itnin  wa^  'pa  pxai'N  yi'icta  "^N  NJC:JI  xnpa 


^Ni  D"Nna^M  p  "I^N  ••inp^  na^nn^yo  rip  ':i  'y 

nnxi  ncna  ic'yD  nnx  nano  ainan  nn»'yo  ^tra  'ipl>  15 

nNV  bcm  JN  nosn       AnjD  ii^N  nyn^x       *;n 
on  H^N  n»  pa  nann^  N^K  IIT^N  yo  NHJD  DTO^N  nn* 
'ji  jn^n  TDpm  'ai  VN  nx  njx^an  vi^  'pa  nan^N  ^y 

N  npi  »a  jKanp^K  anxx  n^  nnn  nn»  yis  fxa  innN  IN  i 
nsna  ^NS  Tinn^N  NCND  *o^yan  v  nnn  n»  nN3D  jna  f^h  20 
i^Npi  nnioi  rbyn  N»ao  7^0  'ipi*  Nnnan  a 
1^  ninnnty  ^  N^BI  7/10  jam*  n  ION  NaN  na  n«n 


N  ••an  »an»  Nanyroa  i      pNm  o^K'ncy  '•c 
ninn  nivyb  na  K^aoi  n^io  wan  na  »DV  "i  ON  Napy  na  Ncn 


10  b 

*-nao  ^N  nyn^N  :  D^yn  Mo  nvy^  na  N^aci  rhyo  niyn 
TNDI  naini  nn^  noN^o  a-ipc^N  IN^N  Daab«  p  nav  IN  nosn 


1.  13.    Deut.  12.  5,  6. 

1.  15.    Sifre  Deuteronomy,  section  68  (p.  88  b),  Bekorot  533. 
1.  18.    Lev.  7.  30,  31. 

I.  20.  Menahot  61  b.  See  Sifra  Saw,  section  1  1,  3  (p.  390).  In  the  latter 
the  word  IT  fell  out. 

1.  21.     Menahot  61  a.  1.  22.    /fc<£,  62  a. 

Fol.  10  b,  1.  2.  }NivN]  This  word  car  hardly  be  in  apposition  to  DwN- 
We  should  perhaps  prefix  1  or  insert  1N  .  aipDPN]  This  is  passive  participle 
qualifying  JNV^N  DJ3^N.  nnv]  =  its  fat.  Dictionaries  do  not  give  such 


150         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


rrro^ai  ^:^N  ^ 

'ji  ohwi  rais  mpm  'pa  nmo^x  ^y  -jin  -inp'D  naata  JD  mx^M 
natn  npnys  IN*  ':i  'ron  pan  wcpm  'H  nvban  "nv  DNI  5 

*ipa  ntpyoi  man  ^n  o^cta  N^>  mx 
^>  D*O^  n^T  }«  n^yoi  niaa  nnnm  ^sn  ID 

bw  twb  \Qnw  ityyoni  niaan  'i 
^y  nn»  TWDM  jy  nanxs  N^N  ej^an  ;M  nv^ 

SJK  Dnshm  7ipi?  mDDs  N^S  10 
anp^  }K  IDNH       *njo  i^N  ngnt^M 
m11:!  nm:i  omai  ni^iy  »n  "n^N  nsni 
oop  ym  "ina^N  ;oi  nn-n  5{rh  pa*  pntyy 
Nina  oop  n^ni  noo  jn^y  t^aa^i  noai>N 
'pa  turn  noabx  ^noi  Nioa  DDp  sjvai  TDD  nv^y  a  m^i  15 


a  noun  in  this  sense  ;  but  as  there  is  an  adjective  ^>Ju/a/,  we  should  have 
no  hesitation  in  considering  v±*J  as  &  genuine  noun.  rQini]  il>y  is  an 
excellent  equivalent  for  the  phrase  3~lpn  HN  HDaDil  D^HH.  Sa'adya 
translates  every  word  separately. 

I  *"3*,  S^O*/- 

1.  3.    iT'Oval]    Hefes  uses  ijJS  for  the  more  usual  iJo. 
1.  4.    Lev.  3.  9-n.  1.  5.    IS]    Read  JN. 

1.  8.    Zebahim  n  b.     The  end  of  the  quotation  is  omitted  by  mistake. 
1.  9.    jy]    The  text  is  not  quite  plain,  but  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  fy 
is  correct. 

1.  10.    Sifra  Wayyikra,  section  14,  i  (p.  13  d). 

Si  ^  a        '  t 

1.  12.  nxm]  <^j}  plural  J^»J,  usually  denotes  hog.  In  the  sense  of 
bullock  or  steer  it  is  found  only  among  Jewish  writers.  See  Dozy.  It  is 
remarkable  that  such  an  ambiguous  word  should  be  employed  in  connexion 
with  sacrifices.  It  is  therefore  best  to  assume  that  in  the  dialect  spoken  by 

s 

these  Jewish  writers  i^>.  signified  only  bullock  or  steer.  In  Sa'adya's 
translation  of  Lev.  4.  3  and  other  passages  this  word  is  written  rn  ,  as  if  C->.. 
But  the  latter  root  denotes  was  lean,  meagre.  The  correct  reading  is  thus 
obviously  m.  The  plural  i^U.  is  nowhere  else  recorded. 

1.  13.    p~15?y]    This  is  the  Hebrew  term.     In  the  other  cases  Ipy  is 

,  .       *o  > 

Arabic  ^n. 

1.  15.    Num.  15.  3-10.     In  the  last  verse  a'npD  is  omitted  by  mistake 


ARABIC    TEXT  151 

IN  ':i  ii  irsran  noab  p^  'ai  -ip  anpon  anpm  'ai  nar  IN  nby  ^  n 
i  '31  'an  }3  by  anpm  'ai  'y  'pa  p  nK>yn  *ai  'ai  ^  ioa!>  p^i  'ai  D  nK>yn 
rnai  ^Npi  nipa^  i?a  nwian  NO  -VNob  aan  N^  D^D^N  '31  pnn  ^n 
n^y  N^K  ^  p«  n^y  6',b  6^n  D^DJ  jyo11  D^'N!?  aipn  ba  »3K 
n«  N^OI  ib-N  nx  N*ao  yioK^i  nar  »ib  tbbn  D^D^H  nx  nmb  pao  20 


nanaa  IN  ma  N^sb  6^  6/n  DB^NI 


nNan  nain  r6iy  HN  N»»DI  I^N  HN  nnn»  yoti'o  nanaai  maa 

nNan  nain  nbiy  HN  N^anb  nanyioa  IN  DIN  Kinu'a 
nain  nNun  HN  N^aoi  Q^ana  nsan  nain  nbiy  nN  N^ao 
5»i>33  n>n  npa  ja  nar  ix  nby  ipa  ja  nyyn  *ai  roib  6i>n  D^ana  25 


ii  a 

pyoi  nanaai  maa  N3  Nin^  npan  pa  no  ^an  by  no^i  bban  ID 
D^Nt^  nu'Ni  nxun  INV  D»3D3  pyo  na-m  maa  Nan  ba  na 
*nao  n^N  nyn^N       :o*3Da  w  N^  nan:i  maa 
IN  naan^N  '•a-inoD  D::!?N  IN  npa^N  ID  na  bajnD^N  jxa  NIN 
nbip  'ai  'pi  ynt?  ntri  niKn  'pa  N-na  N^  Nyn^n 
mbp  NDNQ  •  nc»Nip  pya  ibi  baN  JD  na^a  naan^N 
binirn  'ipb  nD-'Xip  f*ya  nbi  ^JN  JD  N^ya  navy  obpn  np 


after  p'1.     By  a  remarkable  coincidence  LXX  also  omits  that  word.     This 

is  perhaps  due  to  the  tendency  to  harmonize  that  verse  with  verses  5  and  7. 

1.  19.    Si/re  Numbers,  section  107  (p.  29  a).     See  Menahot  90  b.     Read 

throughout  nain  nSy  instead  of  nain  nbiy. 

1.  21.    D'BHp]    Insert  N^JN  before  this  word. 

Fol.  1  1  a,  I.  i.    pa]    Read|3. 

1.  5.  mDnyD]  C^>  in  tne  eighth  conjugation  denotes  be  hastened, 
a  signification  which  does  not  suit  heie.  But  as  ,^*U.  means  contracted, 
drawn  together,  s.».zi-o  may  signify  an  animal  whose  limbs  are  contracted. 
'131  11171]  Lev.  22.  23. 

1.  6.    na'D]    Read  Ti>3  -Js^J. 

1.  7.    D^pn]    The  more  usual  spelling  is  jjjuu'.     ?in^n]    Bekorot  40  a. 


152         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


n">  is  nrnaa  vman»o  nnNB>    ioa  DT  noDi«B>    in:?  sin  nr« 
vban  r.iona  oibpi  IDT-  nuDK>:it?  yn&>  'ipb  nNDnbN  IN  onsbN  bana 
mmbp  ibn  nnt?  »a  6bnbN  bspi  T,onb  men  vban  rnona  oiob  men  10 
aa  by  «IN  pb*Jjfi  p-a  Nb'N  pno  Nbi  jb'jyn  6>n  sb  NDS  m  ON 
'ipb  n^n  pnai?  Nnaon  SJKIV«I  xny^a  "irnp^a  N  vyr\  nma  xip^ 
nn«  psi  n*an  pnnb  nma  nt^y  nn«  inx  ins  n-^yn  nma 
nsan  pinb  o-o^cn  cnpon  DON  ja^o  n*an  pnnb  n*»"on 

}sa  SIN  noxn  *mo  6bx  rqp*w6tc  :n^ya  15 

ONI  'pa  ma  jci  n»a  anp  DV  »a  bav  f«  M"na  IN  xynan  jKanp^N 
ny  bp^  nh  601  bax'  mat  HN  ianpn  ova  bsp  Nob  'ai  nan:  IN  -HJ 
hs^N  DI^N  jNnr  ^a  HJD  baN^N  iw  min^N  >a  *]bi  nbpa  ipa 
ha>  'ipb  ma  ibn11  ni?N  ^bb«  IN»T  ^a  N^  mai  ma  nb» 
ye6  icw  D^nar  IHN  nvb  now  n-'nar  Nin  pi  vW>  nnsb 
3  I^N  baw  Nin  nv  ny  DV  ly  cib  obn  vnn«  ib'b  N.T 
js-anp  anpo  nosn          *nao  ^N  njrw^n          : 
NpNpni  jma  nninb»  NTOB  Npnsna  .T^N  ej^  IN  r6b 
ma  nmnta  noo  jo  naan  pnsn:i  jma  Nnooo 


1  9.    S//m  Etnor,  chapter  7,  6  (p.  98  d).     See  also  Bekorot  40  a  which 
contains  important  variants. 
.  10.    Ibid. 

.  13.    Sifra  Ewor,  chapter  7,  7.  8  (p.  99  a),  Temurah  7  b. 
.  16.    Lev.  7.  1  6. 
.  18.    /hi/.,  7.  15. 

.  19.    -Si/ra  -Saw,  chapter  12,  13  (p.  35  d),  Zebahim  56  b.     Our  text  is 
corrupt. 

1.  20.    nnN1?]    Read  Tisb.     1CW]    Read  pbaW  (twice). 
1.  21.     D-O11]     Insert    after   this  word:  1HN  Dvb  f6aWn   D'-naT  HD 
D^O*  ^B'b   pbaWil   D^nat   SJ«  mnX   n^b.     This  sentence  obviously  fell 
out  through  homoioteleuton. 

1  24.    riDDn]    >»•  with  the  signification  swelled,  was  raised  (of  dough) 
is   found  in  Mufiit   al-MuhW.     Sa'adya,    too,    translates   ]"l3antO    by  ^2n. 

"^JO* 

Ibn  Janah,   however,  is  more  accurate,  and  renders  it  by  l5*J-»  which 
means  mixed  and  is  etymologically  identical  with  Hebrew  "]3~>. 


ARABIC    TEXT  153 

II   b 

P1  pon  Dr^  n^n  b  'ai  ip»  mm  b  DX  'pa  Toa  na 
ni!?n  vi  vita  ytflafctta  'psai  wityy  n-i^y  lonaota 
n^n  b  'ipi>  wipy  m^y  '31  namo  nbi  '31  mso  vpii 
y  nrco  *|N  nun^y  me'y  pn  no  ro» 
m^y  sn3»  insi  i>a  JOB  PNP^NI  pnx-i:bx  NOND 
NOD  N£&»  n3N^>  'ai  pnp  bo  nnx  woo  nnpm  iH  b^n  6 
njibx^  v«^«i  niB'y  fo  wra  n:s  TO  nonn  ^h  p 
6»i  nonn  }3  now  p  »ann  nca  jnv  ^'•N  '«5>  no-nn  xip^ 

IT  ejM  mti'y  ;o  inx  n^yon  nonn  no  nt^yon  nonna  nonn 
nar  by  Tipni  61^  o^n  nnx  pip  N^K  ob  IIT  N^>  I^NPI  m^yo  10 
nvo3  '«!>  nonn  pip  bo  nns  1200  anpm  DINI  minn 
ai>  NJ^  pai»  jmai  yai«  tTO  bu  ni^n  o^yanx  min  ^ 
^vn  jm^N  rroai  D^nai>  b«a  nN»(m  rrn*  ^  D^o^^n  m  nx 
B>  DV  N>I  T1!:^  JM  n^jrani  rrnnb  jo^  a^  ntn  'ipb  nnm  3  pa» 
yKnt?  ^N  Ninnc'  on       *^DD  rn^o^  na^n  ma^  ma  15 
*N\na  M  m^N  ysn^N  n^N  NONS       *Kman 
snair  w«3ip  nnxi  Nnan       *nao 
nanpn  m»  ta  nn^ax  na  ^K  onbx  jo  N^ 
a^  1^0^  min  mr  n^ai  'pa  ma  rbh  nanpn  nv  -a 
join  bpa^K  pb  ^^N  wax  nax  »inp»  npa  "ty  laoo  n 


Fol.  lib,  1.  i.    Lev.  7.  12,  13. 

1.  3.    Sf/ra  Saw,  chapter  n.  9  (p.  35  a).     See  also  Menahot  77  b. 

1.  6.    Lev.  7.  14. 

1.  8.    Sifra  Saw,  section  7,  i  (p.  353),  Menahot  77  b. 

1.  10.  Sifra,  ibid.,  7.  9  (p.  35  c).  A  part  unnecessary  for  our  purpose  is 
omitted  here.  On  the  other  hand  the  Sifra  text  should  be  emended  and  read 
31  jna1?  nON32>.  See  also  Menahot  77  b. 

1.  13.  D'anab]  Read  e»W>. 

1.  14.    5«/>-a  5ao>,  chapter  n,  6  (p.  353). 
1.  19.    Lev.  7.  15. 


154  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 


Nin     iN  'ip>       N  ID     n>N  'w     "D  nya  n>an  »a  nyn»  IN  ar  N> 
ID  DiNn  DN  prnni>  na  nivn  ny  can  now  no^  p  DN  n^n  i>a 

i>aarp  JN  Ni-un       *nao  ata  nyn^N 
IN  hhtti  NT  ix  Nmnao  IN  Nnioao  is  -rays'  in  jNVn  j 


12  a 

na^  IN  ana  IN  nba»  IN  pnn  ix  nnty  IN  miy  'pa  TNTH  IN  ma 
nB>3  moion  pa  'ip^  N^N  IIVNI  *DVK  DJT  niiy  'bw  '"*?  N  xpn 
Ni  bjn&a  *I^N  103  ^^a  matr  NONS  vyy»  nnsa  noion  pai 

N^N  **?  PN  i>n  naa'  IN  T  nn^  ICNJ^  u&  c^n  ns  mas'  'ipb 
n< 

pnn  NONS  iiaty  IN  6-ib  rb^n  ajin  naty  nnn^  pao  i^n  IN  n1  5 
jp  py  ^  pin  p-in  'ip^  pip^Ni  ninno^Ni  aipno^N  aaNn/Na 
p^n  »a  ttn^no  ^n^N  pnatrap  NT  n^a11  'ipi  jpno^  IN  0:22^  IN 
onnn  n?  ana  'ipi>  aun  aia  »inp*a  ana  NCNI  n^a^n  ^ya  nr  'ipS>  na 
nnrn  IT  na^  'ipb  oaN1  a-ia  pa»  IN  nap1"!  TNina  na!>»  NOSB 
^N  n'Nna/N  'a  niny  TIDD  ;ND;N^N  avy  pya  in  W>am  pni  10 

1.  21.     "]?D]     This   is   best   taken   as   infinitive     -L.  elapsing,  passing. 

See  above,  note  to  fol.  3  b,  1.  15.     '131  ^31N]    Sifra  Saw,  chapter 
I2>  5  (P-  35  c)-     See  Berakot  2  a. 

Fol.  12  a,  1.  i.    Lev.  22.  22. 

^o*  »-o  S 

I.  2.  «.cl  =  6/»'«rf  in  general  ;  .^\  =  blind  on  one  eye.  'l^l  p3]  5/ra 
Emor,  section  7,  1  1  (p.  98  c),  Bekorot  44  a.  mDIDH]  Read  ntDIDH,  or  better 
still  NOIDn. 

1.  4.    Sifra,  ibid. 

1.  6.  7foW.,  7,  12.  See  Bekorot  38  a.  Both  readings  pin  and  DH  are 
recorded. 

1.  7.  pnatJ'BB']  This  word  is  very  clearly  written  ;  but  it  is  impossible 
to  say  whether  it  is  £sv^i&  or  di^jLl  ,  as  neither  word  occurs  in  the 
Arabic  dictionaries  in  the  sense  required  here.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that 
it  is  synonymous  with  iJ  JU  a  wart. 

i.  s.  iai  bya  nt]  IM.,  i,  13.  'iai  ana]  ibid.,  Bekorot  4i  a. 

1.9.    Ibid. 


ARABIC    TEXT  155 

pi  01x2  sa»na  *6n  rta^  Nn  'ipi>  iW>  moans  fxmp^ 
nonaa  n^a*  now  K!>  DINS  s»am  •nino  *a^  sjb'o  noroa  N3T13 
m!>  nra  nioxn  nxi  m5>  nra  TIOKH  HN  ]nb  po  W»am  pn  -i»xa 
na  onpn  NO  jroa  rriham  nw  mva^  na^  na^  ru  ITJ  ro^n 

*^K  jwic'  hfa  ID  nyin»  »a  m»ai  nyn^i'N  mn  »a  15 
WNvn  anp^  JN  snan          *KX»K  I^NI  ruo  2^  rqne^N 
pa  NJi^a  *a  i^n  p  ^  ^yaa  INI  xyiupoi  K^»DI  iwiinDi  KDVIDO 
*«n3D  f»a/w  an^i  npia  nn^a  n3»5>  ixvn  niyo  nhp  'ai  'ai  nviai 
nnr.an  IN  fwrinna  NH  Nn^y  by:  IN  pmo^M  onoo  ^Snpa  nviai 

j*ya  mo  jnopoitw  nnai  n^N  p  a^h<  jnopo^a  pinai  ao 
»IN  *DV  n  mim  n  nan  o^aa  fa  nnai  pin^i  mnai  Tiyoi 

nnsatwi  'fa  mt?  ••ainojoi  :Taa  nnai  pin^i  onoa  ninai 
^  PN  'ip^  Dnn»ai  N^N  DNJ^N  »a  onn^a  ^n  i?yai  .•n^Nyf' 

^Npa  nsoin^Ni  *DanNa  ub  lobn  pao  s;ijn  rrm  nona 


12  b 

D^aop  pai  o^na  pa  niaiyn  n«i  rrnn  HNI  nonan  n 
s  a«n  onarn  HN  onoon  DIN  min»  n  nr  nn  niapa  pai  onar  pa 


'ai  b  jvaNi  ••ay  TSB'  ptryn  NJ  ai  Tiyty     a      ;nn  nntaicri 

1.  ii.    Bekorot43a.     The  variants  are  slight. 

1.  17.    Lev.  22.  24. 

1.  3i.  Stfra  Emor,  chapter  7,  9  (p.  99  a).  See  Tosefta  Yebamot  10,  5, 
and  Babli  Bekorot  39  b.  The  opinion  of  R.  Jose  is  adopted  by  Hefes  while 
that  of  R.  Eliezer  b.  Jacob  is  omitted. 

1.  23.    Stfra,  ibid.,  7.  n. 

1.  24.    rPITl]    Delete  the  1.     '131  D1DDH]   Tosefta  Makkot  5,  6. 

Fol.  12  b,  1.  2.  nt]  Insert  a^il  after  this  word.  The  other  variants  are 
insignificant. 

1.  4-    "131  D^BP]    Deut.  16.  18.     '131  N!?]    /M/.,  24.  14. 

1.  5.    Stfra  Emor}  chapter  7,  n  (p.  99  a). 

H.  N 


156        IIEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

xb  bib  bbn  pao  pxb  pn»  pxa  xb^  >b  PK  'ipb  N»nnxa:iM  5 

•'"•wo  ja  n3i  D33i  bib  bbn  mxa  *JK  P^o  nns^  cipra  ba 
"nK3  JK  KH3n       *K:FK  ibsi  nj»  nbx  nyn^bx 
ji  ba  rid  n:ir  pnK  s^an  xb  'pa  aba  pyi  rwKt  ma  jo  i^axipa 
nr  '•nn  mat^a  nr  ^  sn  iTanb  noi^n  pnx  Nin  nr^K  'an  bs'pi 
'n  ba  pnx  n:nr  pnx  xb^N  •'b  px  ibxpi  DHIDK  nba  nxo  ib"DNi  10 
NifN  pnKbK  mm  :  cipo  bs»  njir  pnK  N^an  xb  bib  bbn  pjo 
nao  nbapa  m:y  Nnnno  max  nnxa  nb  banb  ban  nobo^  sasvn 
bis  *3n  nay  bvx  inns^  pbni  nr  nb^  nb  Nn  nanb  noixn  'ipb 
sbaa  piy  np  JKVHB  aba  TTO  NCNS    *pnK  bix  bam  pn« 
my  ^D  P-INDHD  peop  abai  N»nb  QNaax  NDDHPN 
ipb  ababs  Nnnbca  »a  bsrp  ob  •'nbx  nsnbK  D-inna 


1.  6.  "WO]  Read  HWan.  Comp.,  however,  Shabbat  nob  where  such 
a  statement  is  recorded  in  the  name  of  WJH  'QT. 

1.  8.  "\1J]  This  noun  with  such  a  signification  is  not  recorded  in  the 
Arabic  dictionaries.  Nor  does  the  manuscript  help  us  to  decide  whether 
the  letters  meant  are  ~I~13  or  "H3  ,  or  any  other  combination  of  the  last  two 
letters.  Moreover  J  may  stand  for  _  or  d.  But  as  JjJj*.  signifies  worthy, 
fit,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  j.».  is  here  intended.  I  have  some  time  ago 
suggested  that  Hebrew  pflS  is  not  to  be  derived  from  pn,  which  is 
a  by-form  to  'J"0  ,  but  from  an  independent  root  pj"l  whose  meaning  is  was  like, 
worthy.  See  AJSL.,  XXIV  (1908),  pp.  366  ff.  Accordingly  this  rendering 
of  Hefes  would  be  peculiarly  appropriate.  Sa'adya  translates  this  word  by 
PNyJK.  Ibn  Janah,  too,  has  Jjta..  In  the  Taylor-Schechter  Collection 
there  is  a  fragment  in  which  this  word  is  translated  by  N"13  =  *l5. 
H-On  K^]  Deut.  23.  19. 

l.g.  '131  nPK]  Temurah  293,  Sif  re  Deuteronomy,  section  261  (p.  121  a). 
A  few  slight  variants.  VV3r6]  Read  njltb. 

1.  10.    Sifre,  ibid. 

1.  13.  Temurah  29  a,  Si/re,  ibid.  Our  text  agrees  with  the  latter  in 
ascribing  this  opinion  to  ^31)  not  to  "VNQ  "I. 


1.  16.  DnsK]  This  stands  for  u-C,!  (plural  of  ^J.).  As  Hamzah  is 
usually  omitted  in  this  manuscript  j  is  not  inserted.  '131  HPK]  Temurah 
30  a.  See  Sifre,  ibid. 


ARABIC    TEXT  157 

panw  pi  m  ab  nnn  nr  n^o  •£  xn  nar6  noisn  ab  TPID 

-IIDN  ai>3  "m3B>  3^31  nytjn  taia  inNi  nn^y  ^uw  ins 
yne^K  mn  Day  ^ya  JWK  'N  NEND  pirno  ai»a 
pan  un  'ipb  P^LJD  ^i?^^  mw  THOI  3^3  pnx  insn 
ns^isi  ny3"is  xh  0^5^  'yy  pimo  Drrae'  nan  THDI 

pnnio  jn»nnh  'ipi> 

a  b^    n^  ^>»  rvn 


p^n  a^»  n^noi  pnx  ps  fn3  ^DIS  Dion^  pempon  roi  pn3  25 


13  a 

pn  W»K 

*e|iyn  nx  ^an^  ma  W  6ii> 
INS  *wn  IN  nss  no\naa  anpn  IN  nnyx  no»na  ^na11  IN  twun 
^i  Has  IN  'ai  'nx  '^D11  xh  ua^rT  N^  Xp3  n^  rt»^«  "i^a 
unp  nbna  nv  nonn  ni?i3s  IN  «h  enp  INI!?  n^na  nv  N^J 
aio  :  mien  iW  nnion  N^I  t&w  nSn  N^I  mion  ne>iy 


PDIO  ^ya  po^on  'ipi?  iTa  a^y  N^  N»a  a^y  NT  }N3  INI  yna 

L  19.    }D3N]    Unusual  spelling  of  ^LLi^  . 

1.  20.  Temurah  30  a,  Yebamot  59  b,  Sotah  26  b.  The  reading  }J3T  UD 
is  found  nowhere.  It  is  indeed  a  Mishnah  in  the  first-named  place. 

1.  22.    Temurah  30  a. 

1.23.  '131  JV3]  Sifre  Deuteronomy,  section  261  (p.  121  a).  See  Temurah 
30  b.  Some  sentences  are  omitted  here.  N^D?]  This  is  obviously  a  mistake 
for  N^in?.  The  printed  texts  are  unanimous  in  reading  DHQ.  There  are  a 
few  more  variants. 

Fol.  13  a,  \.  4.    Lev.  27.  10. 

1.5.  norm]  Read  mien. 

1.6.  Sifra  Behukkotai,  chapter  9,  5  (p.  113  a).     See  also  Temurah  123. 

The  variants  are  slight. 
1.  7.    Sifra,  Ibid.,  9,  6. 

N  a 


158         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

n 

nxrxi  nxiD?x  "pi  *?x  tfr?  NTDD  no11  -inn  DXI  PD*DJ 

tnvn  nx  nianb  no11  non  DXI  ntrxn  nx  nmi>  ID*  ncn  DXI  'ipb 
Dxi3  DXI  'p  ix  DXI  'pa  xnnxi  noxn  ^ia^  x^a  nenaa  nana  XDXB  10 

"•CD11  ••jxiayi'x  nx  nnxa  HNDI  nxca  nnx  'ipi?  S"3^  inax  ix  nnxi 
cix  pyocj'  n  'i$b  ncna  xn:»  nnxibxi  nona  -vna^x  <i»i|na^x  jxvn^x 
nona  nxnp  nnx  ncna  ii>  nox  nicnaa  ncna  x^  nonas  ncm 
niai^N  ^ya  c^ip  n*n»  NDXB  n»n3  mxnp  nm  mnn3i 

iTtoa  aar^y  niB>yi>  »np  rrn*  'ip^  xinoi  xivp  15 
«  mcyy  pxa^x  yiiE^x  n^a  »a  bx:  jx  xn^n 
bm  x^  'pa  yxanl'xi  ynan^xi  nn^xi  fd^n  DJJ!' 
^•'x  nniaai?xi  ii?x  ^vs^x  »a  xnianjo  nrvyy&H  rai 

r^x  mn  ••a  xn^ya  n^  '•ni'x  nn:i?xi  n^x  hflD&M  '•a  xmsnaoa 
[xln 
[iJanjD  x?3  KID  pm  hx^x  htt?M  *B  xnjvy  x:nan  npa  xnirya  TO*  x^  20 

on«an  i^x  'man  i>xpa  TT  ncnni  xnxa  : 
••ixni'x  hx!?x  DDP^X  xannB'  on  hxks  ^'2^ 

poop  DDp:n  fxor^x  xnn  *a  xn^ya 


13  b 

DDp!?x  m»          "x\na  pnynt?  jcvn1  a^x  xncx 
}xa-ipa  i'ainn  ncxn  *nao  ^ix^ 


1.  8.  KTn»]  Read  X113D  =  I  repealed.  There  can  hardly  be  any 
doubt  that  this  particular  law  is  derived  from  the  fact  that  the  infinitive 
absolute  is  employed,  that  is  to  say,  from  the  repetition  of  the  verb. 

.  9.    Sifra,  ibid.  (p.  113  b).     See  Temurah  z  a,  f. 

.  10.    nOX"l]    ReadXDXI. 

.II.    Sifra,  ibid. 

.  12.    Ibid. 

.  15.    Ibid.,  9,  16.     See  Temurah  173. 

.  17.     Dent.  12.  17. 

.  at.  '131  v^X]  Sifre  Deuteronomy,  section  72  (p.  89  b),  Pesahim  36  b  and 
many  other  places.  Ipl]  Insert  XJIVC'  after  this  word. 


ARABIC    TEXT  159 

Nna  'rwi  NJN3^>  Nn^y  ^>yri  Nam  Nn^y  av>  }N  IOD  p  n-nn 
yoa  yo  Nnarrn  Kmoo  p  nrwap  ita  «nao  fapM  DNEN^N 
pip  anpn  »a  cra:i  'pa  n^  rhc-  hapo  |N3ip  naicta  ^y  lin  inpn  5 

Nnn  'a  nmu^M  ^PN  'ai  D»aran  pn«  *aa  ^K  nx^ni  ':i  nruo 
jna  i  'ipb  onn  p  pi  n^i  ^PN  jm^Mi  Komi  S^iT  nan  pa11  }ii^y 
jn^yo  nina^  N^  nnao  mancn  W  IN  pan 
ni  n^on  nrao  *m  ysiax  m^y  snao  pp11  }x  na11 
nnaoi  iciyn  nnani  o^a  nnaoi  D>ia  nnani  o^pini  ni^nni  10 
nropa  n^ana  ^  N^in  nra?o  DIN  pynt?  i  nixap 
'a  Lson  xmna  nvcp^w  pxyi>  pmp 


rbx  'ipb  n^y  n^xr  «b  ninp  ^»  nnn  p  xnn 
IT  fwcp  it  nir  IT  n^Tmx  ^Ka^K  *sopi3  pxaip  IXPND  15 
13  NIDIT  3i  6x  n-axy  *3M  mvr6  K^K  ^Tia  IT  yn^N  IT 
oa  ^y  niy3VN  ^^  nain  3i  ro 
b^n  j»mo  ivcp  Nita  ^3»  wop 
nain  IXT^NJ  NH  ivcp  N^D  6^  6^>n  vmy3^N  ^Nia 

pmo  nc-rncni  nsnoa  n»  oa  20 


Fol.  13  b,  1.  5.    Lev.  2.  12. 

.  7.    Sifre  Numbers,  section  107  (p.  29  b). 

.  8.    pan]    The  printed  edition  has  na3  HT. 

.  9.    See  Menahot  72  b. 

.  12.    pxjn]    ReadlGtfy3. 

.  14.    Menahot  n  a. 

1.  15.    ''tfCp'tS]    The  printed  edition  has  flh  ION  before  this  word. 

1.  16.  nilK'n,']  After  this  word  there  is  the  following  Hebrew  gloss  in 
the  Talmud :  y3^N3  pniO  3r/nNl  1DH  NH'  *hv  na  1V1  N^D  ^O1p  1C1^3 
ntDD^D  natip .  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  is  a  very  late  addition. 

1..I7-   .niy3i'N]    The  printed  edition  inserts  JTaDB'  iy  after  this  word. 

1.  19.    '131    nain]     The  talmudic  text  is  more  elaborate  and  explicit. 

it  is  as  follows  -.  nB>nio3i  n3nD3  poipi  IT  Da  ^y  rmy3X«  t?^  nain 
naDp  lyn^NDi  n^yopD  ibniaa  pruo. 


160  HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


IDHI  p«o  iso^ptj'  iTy  Nin  npM  ho3  "vonm  Tmn  jmpn  N-i 

TOD  a!?N  nyn^N  vniyaw  ^Mia  ivcpa' 
MI^DB  pnsia  na  HHM*  }N  i«n  raa  JD  rnin  jsanpa  !?D3nn  n?osn 
anpn  »ai  'pa  jnna  nmooo  xn^a  pxpn  IN  |nna  nnin^o  IDD  \D 

14  a 

In 

n  rfbhz  ni^n  ni^n  7ip  ':i  'n  nBMO  nnao  pip 
in  noiM^  I^D  nnm*  n  DM  'i$>  pNpn  IN  pnNn:  nNnaN  JN  ^y 
pip  DI^  »^n  DV'pi  nvnci  ni!?n  nsno  N»a»  N^K'  naNO  nrao 
DN  n^vni  H&n  N^an  PNI  MHao  Nin  nnN  pip 


p  iDM3i  nnN  pip  NM  i»N3  N>  M>m  D"»ys  ^K>  pip  pip  5 
pn  rwnoi  ni^n  nso  M»3'  n»p"pn  N^a11  mbn  N^ani?  nvn  D»p»pii 
n^y  M^  pep  DNI  nn^^n  poipi  bha  poip  wnc'ai  M»3< 
v»p3  nira»  I^N  N^N  i^Npi  pn  on^syo  nnx  M^M 
NSB  an  DM  i^xpi  ':i  n^nioni  nanom  rbon  nn:»  D^na^ 
ni^n  n^nn  »KT  pyntr  inn  N^  j^  ^p  ^MDI  pn  n^y  pm  10 
N  na 


1.  ai.  /6frf.,  6  a.  Instead  of  the  verbs  TDI"ini  T'Oin  the  Mishnic  text  has 
the  adjectives  IDnm  "Wn.  It  is  possible  that  adjectives  are  intended  also 
in  our  text,  and  we  simply  have  to  change  Tfiin  into  "ITIM. 

1.  24.    Lev.  2.  4. 

Fol.  14  a,  1.  2.  S«/ra  Wayyifcra,  section  10,  i.  2  (p.  10  c).  See  also  Menahot 
63  a.  The  variants  are  insignificant. 

.5.    p]    Read  13. 

.  6.    nSD]    Read  HtfTO. 

.8.    pi]    ReadVT.     "Dl  I^M]    Menahot  72  b. 

.  9.    76/rf. 

.  10.  NP]  Although  there  is  no  abbreviation  mark  in  this  word,  there 
can  be  no  doubt  that  it  stands  for  ^p'lSN;',  otherwise  the  preposition  E  of  the 
following  word  would  be  impossible.  If,  however,  we  wish  to  regard  JO 
as  a  complete  word,  we  ought  to  read  '13  N/1.  This  expression,  though 
quite  suitable,  is  weaker  than  the  other. 


ARABIC    TEXT  l6l 

prreno  "wxa  'ipi>  mw  epaa  xmo  mron  fcj 
IKBH  »a  pea  D^pin  ^a  ^a  nuno  6i«  pyop  "i 
N'QQ  pp'pn  nvn»i  ni^n  nvno  nxi  nn\n^  nrao 
pp*P"in  ns  neno  6w  nj»E>  n  pp'p"&  nvnni  nii'ni'  nvno  jn-13  15 
nn^o  *p*pn  JDIN  pyop  -i  n"n  pi  rn^n^  |n«  POT  nxen  »a  poa 
rn  nov^  n-a  :!?  ^n  pepS>  }na  oi'iB'  «n^  na  owjaa  jnri»na 
JOIN  pyctj>  n  pp^pi^  nvnw  nii»n^  nvno  jnw  mini*  p^  :i> 
j»p  "i  n»n  pi  oyna^  ^as:  POT  INBH  *a  pea  ppvin  nx 

nvnoi  ni^n  nsno  N^D  nas»  nn:»  »i>y  »nn  DINH  ao 
an  6s  ^a  pea  ^NO  N^  nan  i>y  poo  jn^  QNI  yvesn  p  ^12121 
*™D  &x  nyn^s  yv  ^a  poa 

NTDQ  NIOD  pan  JK  paxD  "6y  n^in  NJNanpa  ^ajno  IDNH 
nanon  ^y  nroo  OKI  rpa  wm  nn^y  asri  Nmnn*  nn  |ma  Nnini^D 


14  b 

nano  i^nm  hp  pa^D  nano  JN  ^y  *yv  KCOI  '31  nniK  nina  'ai  'np 
nn:»  'ipb  PJV^N  nsnpoaa  7na  nn«  mna  owp  n^yoi  nav 
D^na  nn:o  ^nani  nyais^  D^B^I  D»:B6  inx 
jna  nmo 


1.  12.  Tosefta  Menahot  8,  8-12.  The  few  variants  are  obviously  genuine. 
See  also  Babli  74  b. 

1.  17.    nt31t?b]    More  accurate  than  the  usual  spelling  ilOID. 

1.  21.  'Dl  'NO]  Menahot  75  a.  Some  such  word  as  ^Npl  or  tf^N  must 
have  fallen  out  before  this  word,  as  the  following  is  no  continuation,  but  an 
explanation  of  the  preceding. 

1.  23.  JOfcQ~lpa]  A  double  mistake  in  orthography  :  it  ought  to  be 
genitive  and  without  the  nunation.  Read  }N3~lp3. 

1.  24.    Lev.  2.  5,  6. 

Fol.  14  b,  1.  i.    Menahot  63  a,  Sifra  IVayyikra,  chapter  12,  7  (p.  n  a). 
1.  2.    Menahot  75  b,  Sifra,  ibid.,  12,  4.     The  Mishnah  uses  P3p,  whereas 
Sifra  has  ^33.     Our  text  uses  both  indiscriminately. 


162        HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

nrvna  |na  PK  rrera  ;na  nn:oi  B'ana  nnao  OIK  pyep  n  nbaro  5 


jnn'na  a>ai  rwop  na  p«  mvna  na  PKB>    n  nsnsp  pa  PKB>  *-a» 

urinp  na  DIN  aW'n'a  ninao  3-ipo^  now  rrn  iron  fo*pi  awiaa 

jnnTia  )!>ai  pm  yiKn  ID  on^  N^IDH  DIK  j^aK^  J^D3  'ji  wpi 

B^an  nnh  an^n  "•nc'  *ID  KO  ninn  ninjD^N  yxi3N  jroai  awraa 

B^aan  anh  nn^n  Tit?  S]K  ha11  n"na^  ninron  i>3  nian^  nnao  '^  10 

an$>n  "nt?  Mnnn^  ninaon  b  ns  man^  n^sib  no  nns  6ii>  o^n 


ano  c'^  pnnro  I^K  no  oyo  ainan  nant^  nns  a^aan  anh 


•'•a'-K'N    ano  PKB>  B»:an  ani  a 
|K3ipa  beano  noxn  Anao  n^N 

'ai  T.331P  n^nno  nnao  BKI  7pa  frm  noa  p  xnyay  JN  "i"aaD  "a  15 
n^nnoi?  rvwo  pa  no  n^p  n^aao  ntrnno  JN  ^y  ^hbx 
p  n»aan  n  ^^an  IIBI<I  n  nan  ^lo^a  nb  PK  nanoi  MB»a  nb  t^» 
:B*B>P  n^yoi  nav  nnno  a^nn  n^^jjoi  npioy  nK»nno  DIK 
pip  5>ai  'pa  patnp^K  nwi  nosn       *nao  fb»  nyn^« 

20 


n^on  ay  i^n  'ip  D^  'n  on  nboa  innao 
0-6  obn  nbo  nawo  r6a  nn:o  xnn  ha^  'ip^  Ta  N^  naiobs*  ^y  xnao 
Na    "nbo  naiyo  nnaon  i?a  pwi  n!:o  pyo  poipn  pip 


1.6.  'ni  pKiy  bai]  Read  nn-na  na  PK  mrcp  na  PK»  bai.    The 

nouns  have  changed  positions  in  our  text. 

1.  7.    Berakot  376,  Menahot  75  b. 

1.  10.  Si/ra,  ibid.,  12,  5.  See  Menahot  753.  The  variants  are  phraseo- 
logical. 

1.  15.    Lev.  2.  7. 

1.  16.    Menahot  633,  Stfra,  ibid.,  12,  7. 

1.  19.    Lev.  2.  13. 

1.  21.  S«/nz,  iWrf.,  14,  2  (p.  12  a).  See  also  Menahot  20  a.  Insignificant 
phraseological  variants. 

1.  23.  (jrooncW]  Although  SjLfT  iJtft&JI  is  a  defensible  con- 
struction in  Arabic  (see  Wright,  Arabic  Grammar,  vol.  II,  p.  222  A,  and 
Noldeke,  ZDMG.,  32  (1878),  p.  402),  it  is  more  elegant  to  say  ...  i__fljl5sl«. 
Its  literal  meaning  is  thick  as  to  its  parts. 


ARABIC    TEXT  163 

nmorfc  rktbt*  jo  NWN^N  tjnKar.e^K  rfrnp'B  '31  n^o  23 


row  n?D  x'an?D  n»3B7i  x?  rpacri  X7i  'ip?  nynoa  ?ro»  K?B 

15  a 

rv3pnnDK  x^  JVOTID  xro  N^  nx  PJDI    *nnDnio  IT  irw  nnaic' 
T^DD  *inp»a  6  n  n^anp  fjy  •  nan  nta 
nas6a  nan^a  n^nn  nioipo  ne^ea  «»an 
niniy  pnho  DB'a'  n^cn  nae'ba  nara  ^  ijr&nai  t^aan  ^  i>yi 
?t?  itrxnai  onaxn  nx  pn^io  nBt?  ^aan  ^33  ^yi  o^np  5 

ian  'ipb  ivyi'x  *nn3  n^ioa  m^DD^s  n^o  n^a^ai  fjiyn  n^yi  D^aoa 
nnrn  nbo  r^y  jnui  naxn  nx  x^ao  nany  xin  *rcrx:i  pan 
n^x  xinna'  on  :  ^vi?  pi  '•••ax  bx  vbyon  n^D  v^y  jni3i 


1.  24.  priJ11]  •»  J*^  (seventh  conjugation  of  J».)  is  melted,  dissolved. 
Stfra,  ibid.,  14,  4.  See  also  Menahot  21  a.  Important  variants. 
The  reading  of  Sifra  K*an/  is  inferior,  on  account  of  its  ambiguity. 
The  Talmud  has  Nan  which  is  imperative.  The  omission  of  the  second 
JVatJTI  X?  in  the  printed  editions  is  scarcely  defensible.  It  seems  likely 
that  our  manuscript  has  preserved  the  original  reading.  Perhaps  the  reading 
of  Sifra  arose  through  taking  K*3n&O  as  Ns3n^>  6  =  tP3r6  H^O,  and  the 
second  JVT.?n  K?  was  omitted  through  homoioteleuton.  According  to 
Hefes  finaVJ'  na^N'J'  n?D  ought  to  be  translated  salt  which  melts  not  (lit.  which 
ceases  not}.  This  is  preferable  to  the  explanation  of  Rashi  (Babli,  adlocC) 
who  takes  it  in  its  literal  sense  :  which  is  found  in  all  seasons.  For  according 
to  this  interpretation  the  second  clause  is  slightly  illogical. 

Fol.  15  a,  1.  i.  JVmiD]  ReadrPBHD.  WpinDK]  Sifra  has  Dmaipfo, 
while  Babli  agrees  with  our  manuscript. 

1.  2.    Menahot  21  b.     See  also  Tosefta  6,  2.  3. 

1.  7.    Menahot  21  a.    There  is  no  p2~l  ian  there.     See  Tosefta  6,  4. 

1.  9-  vif?]  The  printed  edition  has  mHpp.  Our  manuscript,  however, 
offers  a  genuine  variant.  See  Maimonides's  Code,  Issure  Mizbeah,  5,  n,  and 
Kesef  Mishneh,  ad  loc.  But  Tosafot,  Hullin  14  a  under  heading  p3DJl 
remarks:  ^  pi  p>D"U  V&\  TTnfa  pi  nan  nDN  p»D13.  Comp.  also 
ii2a,  under  heading  D7/n.  In  Pesahim  743,  under  heading  ^Ni"l,  the  reading 


164         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

•'•NTIJ  NEH  pnta  pnynt^N  NONQ    ^man 
f>a  'a  'pa  ^>oy  IN  TDa  anp'  IN  urun    *ru»  »hsi>K  ny-i^N 
nr  trai  NIH  np«  'ipi»  tj>m  nonta  »»Dn  t&Tf&Mi  'ai  pan  bi 
n^wn  pip  'ip  r6oy  N^>  -ion  iin  IN  ^y  Sn»  NEEI  D'nen 
uniaa  nip^  fs  bKrmou  NO^I  on^n^N  ^K  NTB>D  li'ni  i?  N 
K^N  pp«w3  onian  fwao  isN  '\f?  rboy  xb  ion  iin  IN  NJo^y  ^oy  15 
jo  Nxvn  N^N  nnrnn  »aa  ^y  pnnpo  p«i  D^jyn  JDI  owrn  }D  xsvn 
nr  N^  nNanpD^N  JD  >^3  pnn  p  ^  t^nax  INI  o»3jyn  JOT  owrn 
PNI  nNB>  b  6^  6^n  pjo  uyioon  nanon  N^N  »b  pN  'ip^  nanpn 
vb  pan  •  INB'  ^3  »a  6^  6^n  p:o  pany  invy  Nin  N^N  ^ 
Nin  N^N  »^  PN  e^an  6^  i?n  pin  ojnoon  nanon  N^N  ^  pN  20 

*HJD  i^N  nyn^N  :^m  f?ai  oib  c^n  po  pany 
'pa  onT1:  jn  nb  ^ni  ND^S  p-in^N  rfejmo  fnr&M  jo  oxwhc  Nmn 
c^  na^N  anp*  N^  in  'man  ^Npi  oa^N  anp^  N^>  -in 


15  b 

^  mnr«  ijyn^  twiy  nov  anpn  nrni  6iN  Nint? 
f  'by  "INH^N  MN^N  DDP^N  yor\*vy  nn  :  oa^N  anp^  N!?  nn 

vX/  is  mentioned,  and  is  refuted,  as  most  copies  have  rWTp,'.  In  the  latter 
passage  ^aN,  not  rOT,  is  the  authority  for  this  decision. 

1.  ii.    Lev  2.  n. 

1.  12.  Sif  re  Deuteronomy,  section  297  (p.  1275).  The  words  N1H  HVN  are 
missing  in  the  printed  edition. 

1.  13.    Lev.  2.  12. 

1.  15.  Terumot  n,  3.  That  part  of  the  Mishnah  which  is  irrelevant  to 
our  subject  is  omitted  here. 

1.  18.  Sifra  Wayyikra,  section  12,  4  (p.  11  d).  The  unnecessary  part  is 
not  quoted.  See  also  Menaliot  583. 

1.  19.    pany]    Printed  edition  has  131iy. 

1.  20.    £'31]    Sifra  has  £'3T  ?ai  .     Our  reading  appears  to  be  superior, 

as  Pal  is  required  for  the  following  derivation. 

,  •    > 

1.  22.    vm]  =  U"*)  are  considered. 

1.23.  'Witt]  Num.  18.  4.  'lai-ltt]  Sifre  Numbers,  section  116  (p.  36  b). 
Some  phraseological  variants. 


ARABIC    TEXT  165 


D'pi    XTOIM  ^  njmp  N'  w     «  oopK    *n«ian 
ton  'a  Nay  apxn  Nr6ya  y'K"is?  ri  pvrv  ^i«i?K  poop  nopan  i^n  -vai 
NIOK  yjo^  a  pSiv  Msn^  Vm  ai  K-IOK  xnao  n  jKBtta  5 

NT   TI^K  JFmEfot   n$>K   m5J>  AfNani   JKDT  ^a  'Si   NH^Jja   DT^' 

pn  JK  n^  HDSJ  ma  ^n  »K  nosn  mo  ^isi'x  nyn%^x    "Nir:N 
N  }»  fc6«pnt3  a  nao  pno  ^N  nao  5  mcy  jo  vhr  iao 
3  JNS  ai  in  ^^•^y  n\m  ai  ma  K^B»  »a  B^M  pa  onp^N 
pr&n  nao  6  ^NI  nao  a  xnioy  p  '•iD'1  ^ao  tenners  10 
»a  HD'-pPND  xnpiD  NCI  nao  6  p  TRttht  i»n^«  jMa  JNB  ai  «»n  napa 
D»BW  po  DSI  pa  ^pxna  '  JD^N  «nn  naas  nxnD^Ni 
n  pao  ii  »^NI  sin^  may  p  'Sty  na»  inao  nD"pi  ii  n^ 
p  nyi  vnn  po  DNI  pa  b*pww  as  '•naN  naxa  INB  pni^N  p 
*^y  nao  a  ^NI  pan  n  moy  p  ifa  nao  nnao  r,»"pi  ai  nat?  ncn  15 
tron  po  OKI  pa  ^psno  n^ys  '•nax  nasa  ;NS  Npm  K^:pno 
N  p  *3y*  wnB  mw^x  ;xa  }xa  ai  tb  nnzry  p  nyi 
ai  na-iyo  Kin  ^o  DNI  pa  m>  ^xan  KD  aon  i^n  p 
nna  ^"isri  o^h  o^ana  pmai  pmiai  panyai  panyo  ^an 


Fol.  15  b,  1.  8.  3]  Read  3.  pll^N]  J\t  /^a/,  />«/>^r,  coin.  The  author 
found  it  necessary  to  specify  ?NpDD  with  this  word  in  order  to  exclude  the 
idea  of  weight. 

I.  9.    Lev.  27.  2,  3.  1.  10.    76/rf.,  27.  4. 

1.  12.    /Aid?.,  27.  7.  1.  14.    76»W.,  27.  6. 

1.  16.    /Mrf.,  27.  5. 

1.  17.  *3y^]  This  word  may  be  .^.xJ  it  signifies,  used  in  the  sense  of 
namely  or  that  is  to  say.  It  is  also  possible  that  Hefes  meant  it  to  be  ,2*5 
is  lowly,  is  in  distress  =  Hebrew  "Oy^.  In  this  case  it  would  have  to  be  regarded 
as  being  in  apposition  to  WHO.  In  my  translation  I  adopted  the  former 
alternative,  as  the  unnecessary  repetition  is  somewhat  cumbersome  ;  but  for 
the  sake  of  lucidity  I  thought  it  advisable  to  add  "JO  without  intending  it  to 
be  a  double  rendering. 

1.  18.    Ibid.,  27.  8. 

1.  19.  ''lai  ^an]  'Arakin  i,  i.  D^"13]  The  printed  editions  omit  this 
word. 


166        HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


paiy3  N>  53N  panyoi  pii3i  pnw 
pnu  ppi  now  enn  n'Nii  n3p:i  *NII  iar 
po  niria  run  fna  PNS?  yao  panyo  win  pnu  N^  i>3N  paiy3i 

'Nil   13T  N^N  liyj  WW  Dnhp  32D      *Tiy3   N^  ^3«   113   CHH 

31  «*n  nap:  otn  31  Tarn  naiy  n»m  an  n^K  'ipi»  n\sm  nap:i 


16  a 

-pan  n^«  'ipb  iny:  xi?  bs  n»3  inn  po  nins  N^N  'ip 

Np   JX  KH3D  p11S   HD-p^NI   113^«   pai  '31   CHH   pO  DN1 

i^  «i>  n^no  nay  ^y  i^  r6  lay  pn  m«n  oaKn^K  no^a  «^y 
pya  ^Np  INS  wv  n^y  a:11  N^S  »^y  n*  nc»p  ^Np  IN 

nc^a  maa  IN  HDNI  IN  na^>p  -jyN  nxiyN  JD 
nca  nnx  pcir  ^y  n»  *DI  /cip^  nntn  CNIP  mn  ;D  in«i  i?aa 
IICN  «i>  «by  ^31  iijn  ^i^  iiy  i11  N^a  m^  Nin  noai  lu 
n^n  nDtww  iai  ^an  nr  ib  niy  |nw  ^y  naa  ii 

*1V  D^S   KD1T3   IN   p3D   DM   pN  IN   irw  pN   113   JNQ  lb  "Jiy   jni3  13 

po  mna  lanyn  "ip^  iu  JN  npi  IVUC&N  JD  aon  N^N  nor^  N^S  ^!?^  10 
*?y  in*  ntj'yji  nnev  po  nina  t^cn  p  ^y  in*  n^yii  cnn 


1.  20.  DlDC1t21]  Delete  the  waw  conjundivum,  as  a  new  sentence 
begins  here. 

1.  21.    P"J113]    Read  p1*3. 
1.  24.    Lev.  27.  3,  4. 

Fol.  i6a.  1.  2.    Lev.  27.  6. 

*•*••*»    —  *        ^  e 

1.  5.  HD^NI^N]  Read  nD"Nl7N  =  ~^>j\\  chief,  vital;  d-~ojjl  *Uc^l 
denotes  the  capital,  or  vital  members  of  a  living  being. 

1.  6.    'Arakin  19  b.     Some  phraseological  variants. 

1.  7.  '121  ~]iy]  •#""£,  20  a.  Perhaps  NiuN1  fell  out  before  this  word. 
It  is  also  possible  that  Hefes  quotes  the  Mishnah  (5,  2),  omitting  the 
unnecessary  part. 

1.  10.  |N  npi]  This  is  a  colloquial  expression.  In  good  prose  }N  would 
be  omitted.  '131  IZjnyn]  Ibid.,  18  a. 

1.  n.    Bnn      Read 


ARABIC    TEXT  167 


*n  jma  vy  'any  ^n  'ip?  -pi  nra  *no'p  '*a  vy  >Kp  IMB  iiyn  jora  jma 

a:11  i^y  <acn  'xa  tap  }NI  nb  n»ip  n^y  aa11  ^y  ^ava  nc^p  tap  JKS  iany 

«xn  iny  'ip^  nacn  HN  n^y  aa^a  «5>y  ^ava  jon  tap  jNa  naon  'xa  n^y 

nr  i^a  ""m  ;rna  ^y  ^xn  '•on  VJD*T  ^n  fma  ^y  *o*i  '•xn  bs  iny  ;ma  ^y  15 

b  *vpsta  Dip11  JN  aav  ND  ^psi  •  ii>a  ^on  fnia  u  iTi^n  nn^any  nm  ^on 

Dn  ybo  ID  ^px  ornta  ;KB  'lax  ^  nor!?11  *b  --aanDN  }xa  y^o  jo  ^px 

o^cnc  nn11  sh  y^oo  nina  panya  ps  'ip^  1010  n»'»p  nor^a 

jma  T-^ym  y^oo  nina  mi>3  jnw  px  n^yni  yi>o  fna 
O3m  nnx  N^N  jnia  p«  r5ix  TND  n  D^D  .i  VT>3  vn 


JN3  nns*m  nmw  3ona  Dxnxta  n»ip^a  nbi?  nn^a 
pa  onata  ms^n  Dxcs'ta  ncp  ND  ji^a  naxaa  nonpc 

INI  'ai  "IP  in^a  nx 


1.  12.  'Jfa]  Perhaps  colloquial  «wf.  See  above,  fol.  3  b,  1.  15. 
"131  W]  'Arakin  20  a.  1.  14.  76«'t/. 

1.  17.  DTfvN]  A^  owned,  possessed.  The  ordinary  signification  of  this 
word  is  he  was  responsible,  obliged,  and  in  modern  Arabic  it  has  acquired  the 
idea  of  ownership,  since  one  is  responsible  for  a  thing  one  owns.  This  latter 
meaning  is  quite  frequent  in  the  Egyptian  dialect.  See  S.  Spiro's  Arabic- 
English  Vocabulary  where  the  meaning  to  have  a  monopoly  is  given.  An 
Egyptian  Sheikh  who  presented  me  with  a  copy  of  an  Oriental  edition  of 
the  Divvan  of  Muslim  b.  al-Walid  wrote  down  &*pl*  y>  jyjji  a  gift  front 

<*  •*  *  o  __  o 

the  owner.  See  also  Dozy  who  quotes  such  an  expression  as  A.UJ  o^liJl 
..v*i}.  He  also  records  the  signification  he  took  a  farm  which  approaches 
the  meaning  he  possessed.  The  context  of  our  passage  clearly  proves  that 
this  meaning  is  very  old,  and  is  no  modern  innovation,  since  he  was 
responsible  does  not  suit  here. 

-    ,0* 

\.  18.  1D1X]  Better  1D^N=  .^ol,  since  this  verb  is  a  priwtae  Ya. 
pmjQ  p«]  Ibid.,  7  b. 

1.  22.  flOlpvB]  Either  a  short  clause  fell  out  before  this  word,  or  we 
have  to  read  [N  instead  of  ,)Q.  It  is  also  possible  that  it  is  merely  a  slovenly 
construction,  the  author  having  13^"iym  in  mind  and  forgetting  that  he 
started  with  IDXfl.  Sa'adya  has  the  same  construction. 

1.  23.    Lev.  27.  14,  15. 

1.  24.    Sift  a  BeJntkkotai,  section  4,  8  (p.  113  d). 


i68         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

16  b 

ns  i>N3*  impon  OKI  DIX  Kinpa  nano  ainan  mn  rraa  ha* 
nmb  ijvn  nx  ^xa*  tynpon  nxi  i>xpi  IICK  n-yn  n*a  nn  m*a 
run  ata  nyna6n       *envn  nx  nmi?  ^x:s  ^xa  OKI  nrxn  nx 
N2N31P  xmD  aip*  x^>  noaa  nD*na  n&  ma  IND:N  »N  ncxn 
jsa  NnnsTii  nnnu  aonn  Nnoip^a  DNDt6«  ^n^  pn  ?ipin  JN  n^ 
OKI  'PS  nD"p!?N  ^y  D^a^N  nrba  NHDX^B  snoipn 
'ip  D^  'y\  ruknw  ^w  DW  'jn  N  pan  nnyni  'ai 
ha1  'ip^1  sn^no  :np<  ;K  ra»  xb  ary  nun  i?a  trurdhi  JD 
nn  '31  ya  mai  HNCD  ncnaa  DNI  DIN  Ninc'a  nano  ainan 

iDsa  fc6'N  nano  W*N  «n  micsn  nxou  ncna  10 


pip  naDD  unp1  N    nc'N  D    Dn  naiy  DID    y  na* 
:  nnon  nx  niani>  nx?:D  :  nnt:^  nt?a  Nint^  naiy  D^D 


pnyo  }*NI  pB'npD  pN  s*: 

nna  npyn  rrana  onnn  i^yn  B«npn  nrn  pra  ponno  p 
Nin  nrx  r^on  Dsb  T'h*  mans  "bi  niyD  li 


Fol.  i6b,  1.  i.    ha*]    To  be  omitted  as  dittography. 

1.  a.  Ibid.,  chapter  10.  2  and  n.  In  Sifra  the  inclusion  of  the  wife  and 
the  heir  is  given  twice  :  on  verses  15  and  19.  Our  text,  however,  derives 
the  wife  from  verse  15  and  the  heir  from  verse  19.  But  as  these  two  verses 
treat  of  different  kinds  of  consecrations  this  combination  is  hardly  justifiable. 
On  the  other  hand  the  Sifra  text  excites  suspicion,  as  it  is  not  in  accordance 
with  rabbinic  logic  to  derive  two  things  from  one  word. 

1.  6.    Lev.  21.  11-13. 

1.  8.  T3\l  Read  T13*.  ha*]  Sifra,  ibid.,  section  4,  i.  2.  See  also 
Temurah  32  b.  Some  phraseological  variants. 

1.  10.    iTViCNn]    The  first  n  is  to  be  deleted  as  dittography. 

1.  13-  D¥9^K*,]  =  *-**Jlj  plural  of  i^J.  *3N1V^X1]  This  is  how 
Sa'adya  renders  din  in  Lev.  27.  28  and  Num.  18.  14.  See  Dozy  who  quotes 
passages  in  which  the  meaning  confiscation  is  assigned  to  this  word.  The 
singular  thereof  is  d^slo.  See  also  Kur'an,  XXXII,  37.  The  signification 
of  the  latter  is,  however,  dubious.  '121  N'Jfi]  'Abodah  zarah  13  a, 
Bckorot  53  a. 


ARABIC    TEXT  169 

Anao  ni'N  njme^N          *rrbso  nnoi  man  n!>n  bjna  nip'y 
i^N  yop  npa  n/aa  is  nnaa  n^o  nyo  nxo  npxa  ^x  noxn 
nnoxaab  fbx  DV^N  '•ai  mno  nv  -jini  6x  DV^K  *a  nnxi  p^ira  naoa 
^oy  nvno^x  xaa  axa  -^x  DKON^N  •£«  cxon  'ana  IN  pj'aat?  'ns1- 
n^o  bs*  JD  ND3S*  SOD  nay  najno'i  m*j«  laN^tfl  man  KomnK  20 

naoa  ^K  niy^  on  DV^S*  1^1  »a  nosn  onp^ 
ma  n'x  fNDTN  j»  Dpo^a  nnosaa  ^>ap  naoa  p  '•iro  NCI  nn:o  px 
ai  a  i^y  no  niD^  ^ai  'pa  naoa  yapax  ND^J  Naoxa  n^a  fa11  }« 
i  611  nx  '"^  inm  'ai  |nan  new  'ai 


17  a 

nay  rma  ix  rra  nixn  im  nnaa  nxoa  pno  n»a  yiiD  'a  ina 

nao  ana^x  jy  nyao  yaso  IN  nna^x  jxa  XTIXD  nxaa  nxca  n^nv 

nun!?  DNna  ynaa  non  i?yi  v^y  n-an  ^aat^  nnni>  nia^  *ai  'ipi> 

nx  x"ani7  oxna  oiaxn  nN  N-an^  ynaa  KS»NI  'pnaiaa  icy  not? 

DUN  nr  DNna  aait?  nr  ynaa  CIN  fnai1'  n  n^N^  n  nan  aav^n  5 
nia1-  }x  aa>  nn  rvo  p  nnoxaa^  yaxo^x  »a  innnn  oi-a  itrxn 
rva  n  XDnn>  xvn  'ipa  nna  -iax  p  NYSN  T^N  ^ai  n^Nn^N  ^a 
rtaci  '•yaB'ai  '•B'^tra  nr»  n\n  nvrNa  HNCD  n^an  'man 
an  ova  ia  vniaanp  xsa»  lia  nb  DNI  iia  vniaanp  x^ac 
nn^n  innnn  nrc'  ^  ON  ynnasb  nr  pa  no  pano  n  ^  ON  Na^py  n  10 

1.  21.    }Na~\pP$]    The  two  dots  indicate  that  the  first  ,3  is  to  be  deleted. 

1.  23.    Num.  6.  9-12. 

1.  24.    T¥!1]    Read  niin  infinitive  of  tZi  was  present. 


Fol.  17  a,  1.  3.    Si/re  Znta,  ad  loc.  (ed.  Horovitz).     See  Yalkut. 

1.  4.  Si/re  Numbers,  section  28  (p.  9  b).  The  part  irrelevant  to  our  subject 
is  omitted  here.  See  also  Keritot  9  a  and  Bemidbar  rabba  10,  13. 

1.  7.  Num.  19.  12.  This  verse  does  not  refer  particularly  to  a  Nazarite 
but  to  any  one  who  comes  in  contact  with  a  dead  body. 

1.8.     Nazir44b.     Readnn^H. 

I.  10.    nM^n]    The  following  clause  fell  out  after  this  word  by  homoio- 

:  rp^n  irnno  yniifoi  ma. 


170         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

'IBW  aiy»  nvi  p  ox  N^N  vnmnp  nx  N»ao  WK  virfana 
imnu  ova  'ipb  ma  ^M  ^n  -nv  Ty  w  HDD  nyaxD  DV  pans  IND 
pao  n^y  'ynwi  ^aw  »jpatja  N^X  ^  PN  'jpasa  insrn  ova 
^SX  >b  p«  uniw  oib  6!?n  pjo  n^ba  ova  N^N  ^  p«  urta»  »ii?  cbn 
nni?:n  ncK  ja»o  lin^1-  bib  obn  p:o  mnu  nn^an  nxcu  nnbn  15 
NX>  sb  nbw  na  nnsi  «»an  DKI  x^ao  na  nnxi  nbo  nxpsa  n 

i  n  »n 


^      rr6y  au^M  '•inp1'  M»am  nNnsbx  jnn  ^K  banD^x  -a 


s^^  ny  jnsan    a-m  a«n  Nin^  IIDO  7ip    nosaa  "]i 
nn^xaa  »snp»a  e'ean  i?y  NDH  ntyso  :nyiD  bnx  nns  bs  20 
IN  napn  nry^N  n  'ipb  n^cn  nDxaabs  f»  noxnnnN  nbpa 
maa  TIV  pn  p  wsy  iyiv^  maa  inxe'  nr  NDH  c'aa 
'at?  "i3io  'nan  NOD  "vraa  DIN  i>Kpt3««  -i  nan  b  JD  ic'aa  nyxD^ 
nx  enp^  D'-noi'  NOD^D^  'an  by  NDPI  nt^ND  vby  la 


17  b 

IN  pa»  }N  3jv  n»  *o»  ns  '«b  "inni  wnn  ova 
nvo  maob  brmor  onob  WKSCI  'ipb  yasobx  DV^K  *ay«  pbn 


1.  is.    Stfre,  ibid.     Insignificant  variants. 

1.  15.  rnnc]  Read  mno. 

1.  17.  m^ana]  This  may  be  infinitive  fifth  conjugation  of  \->..  But  the 
construction  is  rather  awkward.  It  would  be  more  natural  to  read  i"l"V3JV3 
imperfect:  fie  shall  choose,  or  select  it.  Na^ifpH]  This  is  fifth  conjugation  of 
L>3  which  has  the  same  signification  as  tenth. 

1.  18.    |NTIN]    Infinitive  first  conjugation  of    J  I. 

1.  19.     Stfre  Numbers,  section  29  (p.  loa).     See  Bemidbar  rabba  10,  14. 

l.ai.  Sifre,  ibid.,  section  30.  See  Nazir  19  a.  Some  phraseological 
variants. 

1.  22.  JIT]  Stfre  has  m  which  cannot  be  correct.  "lyiSft?]  Read  ny^XB'. 
jMH]  The  following  clause  fell  out  after  this  word  by  homoioteleuton  : 

p»n  |o  IB>BJ  ijwon  DX  noi  vp  onan  K^m. 

Fol.  i7b,  1.  2.    5//«,  i»/</.     Read 


ARABIC    TEXT  171 

D 

wm  'ipb  naoa  DN^X  p  X»^N  <pan  np  INS  jx  re*  nwpt 
naoa  nx's  p  NDN»N  'pan  IP  jta  IN  iba11 
n«D  "vra  »ann  n»x  DNK>  pao  ban  nx  iniD  D»annN  ib  tw 
ib  rbbn  ban  ns  nnio  nns  non  nx»  DVI 


o  ni»K  nyn^N       *ej3«no* 
^«  Nnbsoa  DV  »a  TIN*  fx  naoa 

xn-nx  nnao  JIN  N^on  snao  n^bx  ID  D-IX  a  nonobM  xaa  ro 
nboi  not6ob«  nanb  sn^nv  N^aai  nrsr^  nrvnx  Knnao  nanx 
nnnni  jma  NHIDDD  Nirx  TBB  PKFHI  jma  nninbo  n»oa  pisna 
nm^jnn  nnian  ya^i  nbbN  n»  pa  nxnsbx  onoip»a  an 

yav*  on  n^abx  nbo  VD  n&  nn^D^  nan  nyas* 
nosn  nyu>  nirniDbN  xaa  axa  nay  iDNa^N  p^n^i  snyo  15 
p  TIIDO  ysmbx  DNDN^N  1:^1  noNbobx  nan  nnn 
npbn  nya  n.DNabN  »aa  ^y  n.bn  yn^i  T-eai'M  p  npttpm  npniai 
yo  DKDnbb  Nonp  p^i  rkbx  n»  pa  tonnn  onaim 


1.3.  7W</.,  section  31.  See  also  Nazir  19  b.  Some  phraseological 
variants. 

I.  4-  }N]  This  sentence  as  far  as  '31  IPS'1  (1.  5)  should  be  omitted  as 
dittography. 

1.  8.   n^a1*]    The  slanting  line  over  *  evidently  represents  a  dantma. 

1.  10.  ItbnJD^X]  =  fZs*  .  6  is  now  and  again  confused  with  ^  in 
Jewish  Arabic,  and  sometimes  even  in  manuscripts  written  by  Mohammedans. 
This  is  no  doubt  due  to  the  pronunciation  of  these  letters.  In  colloquial 
Arabic  *$>  midday  is  pronounced  duhr,  as  if  it  were  *^o.  Similarly,  jj  AJL} 
glasses,  spectacles,  is  pronounced  naddara  as  if  it  were  ji.Lij.  On  the  other 
hand  Jajli  a  police  officer  is  pronounced  zdbit,  as  if  it  were  Jo>.lfe. 

1.  ii.  nbail]  This  is  correct,  as  it  is  »!»,.  Sa'adya's  n^m  (Num. 
6.  14)  is  an  error  that  crept  into  a  copy  written  in  Arabic  characters. 

1.   17.    yTI]    A  by-form  to  JJ¥V|.     This  confusion  is  not  infrequent  in 

Arabic,  and  is  certainly  due  to  the  pronunciation.     Thus  in  modern  Arabic 

•  -<>•» 
some  words  are  spelt  indifferently  with  o  or  ^>,   as,   for  instance,  j'j.l 

a  chamber  is  sometimes  written  I*}.). 

H.  O 


172         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


cva  Tun  mm  DKT  'pa  Nioa  IDN^N  ait?*  ibi  lyai  nysibx  pxm 
i  '"  MBb  jnan  anpm  'ai  nivo  boi  'ji  '"b  imp  nx  anpm  'Ji  nsbo  20 

}.ian  onx  spam  'ii  fnan  npbi  'ii  nna  i-un  nbai  '«  rw  b^n  nw 
"]DVQ  N^  Kinno  NiNor  nao:^  |o  m  nn*  nn  *o»  nsta  ova  hp  'ai  ^ 
w  mno  pnpb  D^iy  i»n  pip  nnm  D^D*  nna  pip  nnx  7ip 


18  a 

6  na  ITI?  nw  '•o^  nxbo  ova  »6  c^n  IINDD  pip 
pip  inw  D?D?  i°r3  pip  nnx  'ipb  ini^s  ^DW 
JN  a:^  vbx  n-'p^pi^Ni  n^nissi  vtmh  p-oa  b  wv  n:a  K^K 
ie>y  iB'y  nisa  jnt?  mnam  min  ni^n  'ipi>  niB>y  n 


nvp  »na  josra  n^mK^n  nna  ^  'B>D  'so  ^p"pn  'ipb  HTXI  =1^33  5 
poa  IT  by  nnxi  IT  by  nns  fni:i  lyavsa  baio  nny  ran  is»«a  ictr 


n  by  jwi  nw  B>XI  uw  nx 
amm  nx  jnu  na  inw  N^n  'ipb  ix:bx  ^by  jr»abN  vb^  onbbx  pio  jo 
inn  nnn  rbv  DW  n^cbe'  be>  inn  nnn  nbt^oi  n»  «wi  ijw  by  jnw 
•nnn  HM>  naio  D^obtrn  naT  nnn  IBW  NIP  DN  }b  'JD  aan  Ni"1  n«un  b^  10 


1.  19.    Num.  6.  13-20.    1  fell  out  before  HNT. 

1.  23.  Si/r£,  j'Wrf.,  section  32  (p.  lob).  Omit  pip  in  both  places.  The 
printed  edition  has  a  few  biblical  words  after  Dbiy. 

Fol.  i8a,  1.  i.  1T1"1]  The  scribe  noticed  that,  owing  to  the  confusion  of 
HT3,  he  had  copied  twice  the  sentence  beginning  with  this  word.  He 
accordingly  deleted  all  these  words  by  marking  them  with  circles. 

1.  4.    Menahot  76  a. 

I.  S-  7131  "p'pll]  Sifre  Zw/a  (Yalkut)  ad  loc.  See  also  Bemidbar  rabba 
10,  19.  D^niB'D"]  It  may  be  an  active  fa'ul  form,  or  we  have  to  read 


1.  8.    '131  K^n]    Nazir  45  b.     Instead  of  tOJn  the  printed  edition  has 


1.  10.  nNC2n]  The  printed  text  has  DWl  after  this  word.  N^]  A  short 
irrelevant  discussion  is  omitted  after  this  word.  at311]  The  printed  text 
has  the  more  general  question  v^D  ^!13D,  and  the  answer  is  given  in  the 
name  of  Raba. 


ARABIC    TEXT  173 

p  mron  5>a  ina  »b«  «anpn  ih  'inp'a  '«  »aa!>  naian  jnsn  DDK 
OK  ^Npi  mm  new  spin  -IU>N  'at?  TIIOI  r6s»  twoi  7^0  'ip^> 
r6yoi  £B>  rnnnnsr  »oi>  trsoi  1^10  janv  i  ON  NIK  13 
ON  nnpiy  12  son  i  ON  »an  *ano  N3-iyo3  Nin  ii>{j> 


nna  *a  '«  »aa>  jo^yn  D 

*ainan       ona^  ny  niroa  wn  nn  /1(<i  *aal>  'NJC^  tnpo 
x  NDXS  iNman  n*n»^«  IPMIIB^M  n^x  Nam^  on 


jvns     w  jrpai  13001  103  >3i  ISDEI  103  JD  nao 


I.  n.  KTIpn]  Read  preferably  N2Hnn,  the  copyist  having  mistaken 
n  for  p  and  3  for  3. 

1.12.    'laiT^D]    Menahot6ia.     'l31  ON]    76ti/.  62  a,  Sukkah  37  b. 

1.  14.    1^]    Insert  pNHI  before  this  word. 

I.  16.    Sifre  Numbers,  section  37  (p.  n  a).     A  phraseological  variant. 

1.  so.  pHD]  Although  this  word  is  not  found  in  the  Arabic  lexica,  it  is 
attested  by  its  occurrence  several  times  in  the  Syriac-Arabic  glossaries  of 
Bar  Bahlul  (ed.  Duval  :  482,  bottom;  904,  21;  1421,  i;  1635,  J9)>  and 
Bar  Ali  (ed.  Hoffmann,  p.  184,  1.  21).  In  all  these  places  its  meaning  is 
unmistakably  kernel,  or  stone  of  a  grape,  or  raisin.  It  is  the  equivalent  of 
J^;,^^,  )JQA.W->,  )>.Q_^.,  and  Jfco.iS.  Some  of  these  words,  it  is 
true,  have  more  than  one  meaning  ;  but  ..yos  is  given  throughout  to  denote 
kernel,  and  where  ambiguity  may  arise,  they  take  care  to  avoid  it,  by  saying 
v_^o;ll  .^sPjAj  ^J^  (.86904,  1635;  BA  184).  It  is  thus  synonymous 
with  ±*>&  and  may  be  a  dialectic  variant  thereof,  like  **>&•  Hefes,  however, 
uses  it  in  the  sense  of  skin  of  a  grape,  as  he  explicitly  states  that  y\  is  the 
kernel,  and  quotes  a  talmudic  passage  which  says  that  Jinn  is  the  external 
part  (see  below,  fol.  19  a,  1.  8).  We  must  therefore  assume  that  in  the 
dialect  spoken  by  Hefes  ..j-ef  signified  a  skin  of  a  grape.  Sa'adya  also 
renders  D'JSin  by  JSiflD.'N,  but  it  is  not  certain  what  he  meant  by  it. 
Derenbourg's  note  to  that  word  is  inadequate.  Ibn  Janah  translates 
3T  by  j^.9  and  uses,  without  acknowledgement,  the  explanation  and  talmudic 
passage  which  Hefes  gave.  From  Bar  Ali  (p.  184,  1.  21)  it  seems  that  the 

'  0  t  *  ' 

correct  vocalization  is  ^jJ.  TaJTl]  =^«sso  that  which  is  expressed  front 
grapes,  &c.,  including  the  dregs.  As  may  be  seen  from  the  preceding  note, 
this  word  is  taken  here  to  mean  grape-  kernel. 

o  a 


174         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


'31  Tl       ti&  '3  ntTN  IK  tJ»K  rK  'OW        ^  »33    >X  13T     p3 

'ip  ^K  «|Kia»)  'ai  3  n^  b  'ai  IT  "Den  p'o 
nx  K*3r6  D<r6  'ipi>  QTS^K  p 


i8b 

s*  jaa  js^ 
'ipi>  N^N  pn^K  nap  VNUK  DV^D  DISI  m>3  vb 

K^  NDHD  DID  np»K  M  D13  NS3  3T  OK  'nm  ^Npl  t  3  jh  TOP 

nbn  pnw  m»a  «b  n3  nwxso  nons^x  jxi?  pn  JBJO  'ipa  •KIP'K 
P-II  ^3  *y3i  ynai  n^ny^s  *B  Nir"N  Knitbno  K^I  nna^K  ^y  iiuno  5 
pinio  moooi  D^eao  psh^m  o^yn  '^  rrmb* 
rb  jn  nna^K  IT^  *noi  msw3  pniDNi  T»3i 
nvyan  n^y  ITJ^K  n  ox  'ipi>  m^a  33^  npia 
Wi  i*ta  \Ta  »KD  NnxpciD  tron  KHKIVH  syom  NHNPOID  K^DH 
rmrp  3T  CNT  noan  iKny  TT£  p»  n*y»3n  nca  DTIIOI  oaaai  mn  noan  10 
ns  jns  W»B>  psnx  Mn  niDD  nysiK  ^NIOB'  CK 
n*y*an  nnE?  0:2:1  ^ip»3  mv 


1.  ai.    Num.  6.  2-4. 

1.  23.    Resume  of  S«/rtf  Numbers,  section  23  (p.  8  a). 

Fol.  18  b,  1.  a.  Ip?]  Judges  15.  5.  This  is  the  only  case  where  this 
word  introduces  a  biblical  verse.  As  this  verse  merely  explains  the  usage 
of  a  term  and  does  not  form  part  of  the  precept,  the  directness  of  rp3  is  not 
necessary.  It  is  also  possible  that  the  words  'JTQT  PNpl  of  the  following  line 
are  to  be  omitted,  and  that  the  entire  passage  is  a  talmudic  quotation. 

1.  3.    Berakot  35  a,  Baba  mesi'a  87  b.  1.  6.    'Orlah  i,  7. 

1.  8.  '^  DN]  Nazir  38  a.  With  the  exception  of  one  or  two 
phraseological  variants,  all  the  deviations  are  scribal  errors.  See  following 
notes,  t^pa]  Insert  |H  before  this  word  and  3T  after  it.  mn3]  The 
printed  text  has  rVTQ. 

1.  9.    '131  ~na]    The  mnemonic  sign  of  the  Talmud  is  more  skilful.     It  is 

inoi  cnpon  runs'  noa  nenjn  *vta. 

1.  10.    1C3]    Readnna. 

1.  ii.    r»inE>]    Insert  nn^  after  this  word. 

1.  12.    Enp£2]    This  is  the  mnemonic  word  of  the  talmudic  text,  and  if 


ARABIC    TEXT 


175 


no 


jot?  n^yan  nna  r6r6  JOB*  n^ya-i  ni>n  nn^a  I^DBJB*  yiwoi  15 
n^yana  ppB>on  ^3  nKBn  pm  I^DDJK'  yiixofj  jot?  n^ 


pm 
mi  n3{y  nwnn^ 


n  i»3 
naoo 


n-yma 


n^o 


fia  n^yn  OIK  min»  ni  nvan  p  D*D 
OIK  ^KST  n  Kins'  ^3  n3in^>  p:nw  D*O  no3  K3"Kni 
jp3"i  n^oan  N»nno  na  mpo  wxm  n^o  Kp  N^ 
rmen 

19  a  a 

^y  Kahy  np  ixh  Kn-isnsaa  ^lo^a  »3t«yo^K  mn  nntn 


our  mnemonic  sign  is  genuine  this  word  should  be  deleted.  Otherwise 
D3331  should  be  struck  out.  As  it  stands  we  have  a  fusion  of  two  different 
readings. 

1.  13.  K'Om]  Insert  D^nDI  or  inDI  before  this  word.  It  fell  out  by 
a  sort  of  homoioteleuton. 

1.  16.  IXB'1]  Delete  to  the  end  of  the  line.  This  clause  crept  in 
through  confusion  with  pm  after  TDKO. 

1.  18.  n3ty  nKSfin?]  These  two  words  which  appear  to  be  essential  are 
missing  in  the  printed  text. 

1.  20.    131  -6lD]    Read  D"IH  ^  ^B. 

1.23. 


Fol.  19  a,  ].  i.  KJxiy]  J»c  usually  denotes  he  relied  upon.  But  Dozy 
gives  also  the  meaning  prendre  la  resolution  de,  which  suits  here  admirably, 
(hough  one  is  not  precluded  from  translating  this  sentence  by  Q*3O1D1 
131  13K.  Whether  Hefes  actually  wrote  this  book  or  not  is  unknown. 
No  reference  is  made  to  it  in  any  other  place. 

1.  a.  JK]  This  is  a  very  loose  and  awkward  construction.  To  relieve 
this  sentence  from  its  awkwardness  we  merely  have  to  delete  JK.  Perhaps 


176         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


c^aayn    y\  vsw  'asa  j«n  >y  a«n  nx  p  nipN  YKTTI  *ai  "]n  'a 
*jzwy  vjsa  parn  ^jn  jovy  *aaa  B»annn  i>jn  ioxy  'aaa 
an  pTi  jaa»  rw  IB>N  b»  DIK>DI  pnn  Dit?»  nw  npii?  pnn  5 
^as  BIBTDI  at  BWBI  pnn  m^o  B'^  npi^  an  jsin 
ny  a^n  la^s  £IN  nnry  p  nry^x  n  NSW  :p»n  |sao 
ipi?  aay^x  baxn  ••I^N  an^x  in  axiw  |V*wi>«  in  j^nn^s  fan  pavnn 
N  parni  pasnnn  fa»  payinn  parn  }n  I^NI  pavnnn  jn  i^\s 
air  jnrnn  nona  ^  ana  nyon  N^  na  OIK  »DV  n  min»  n  nai  10 
ma>  DKK>  npya  oyo  jn^  mro  aay^x  ypa  ••a  ^«pi  haay  29 

*nao  a^N  nyne^K          *IIDN  p»  Dyu  fna  B' 
ma  i^  i?a  'pa  n-a-p  i?a  xaDxa  im  nosi  ~\yw  pbn 

nnna  DHD  'ip^  IDX^N  JNDT  S>PK  jxa  lawman  ^Np  r:i  nra 


this  word  was  intended  by  the  cop3'ist  to  be  the  ending  of  aNfD,  the 
nunation  being  written  out,  as  is  sometimes  the  case  in  manuscripts  of  this 
kind.  See  Jefeth  b.  Ali's  Arabic  Commentary  on  Nahum  (ed.  Hirschfeld, 
p.  16,  note  7),  where  JS  fNDT  =  lA*j.  In  that  place,  however,  JK  may  merely 
be  &  case  of  dittography.  Accordingly  JX  3N03  =  Ljl^T,  the  accusative  being 
erroneously  used  instead  of  the  genitive,  as  N"lXa  (fol.  4  b,  1.  14).  It  is  also 
possible  that  some  such  word  as  13"ia  /  hope  fell  out  before  'N. 

1.  3.     Nazir  34  b. 

1.  4.  IDVy]  Read  f»xy.  '131  DN]  Ibid.,  38  b.  We  should  perhaps 
insert  IID/O/N  PKpl  before  this  word.  This  passage  seems  to  be  corrupt 
in  the  printed  editions,  where  it  is  shorter.  This  decision  is  given  in  the 
name  of  Abayya,  not  Raba.  The  same  passage  is  quoted  in  Pesahim  41  b, 
where  Raba  is  credited  with  this  decision.  See  Tosafot,  ibid.,  under  heading 


1.  7.     Nazir  34  b. 

1.  8.  pn]  Does  the  pronominal  suffix  refer  to  pajfin,  or  should  we 
delete  the  J  and  read  at!  in  accordance  with  the  talmudic  text?  fSHB^N] 
See  above,  note  to  fol.  18  a,  1.  20.  Ji^NI]  Read  J^W, 

i.  9.  ibid,   paxnnn  iW]  Read  pairnn  ib'N. 

1.  it.    Nazir  37  a. 

1.  12.    "VlDX]    The  printed  text  has  a^Tl.  1.  13.     Num.  6.  5. 

1.  14.  IDNJ^N]  Insert  NDV  |ir6n  after  this  word.  rl31  DDD]  Nazir 
Mishnah  i,  3.  Slight  variants. 


ARABIC    TEXT  177 

rutap  nnx  TM  »ann  nhia  nnx  TM  ynn  n»N  DV  15 


spo  njn 

TU  *T"in  D'nt?  TO  ynn  rrenoi  nnK  TW  ynn  nnx 
tap  INS  mysy  fnnj  ;w  ov  nnxi  DB^e>  T»  nnx 
my  IN  <IDNI  ^w  v\ys  ^DJ  DJOK  my  n^ya  np 

TT3  ^nn  'ipi?  moy  \o  Npan  ND  yoa  nao:  03SQ  ns 
^ 

Ww  nboi  D^iy  Tt3  nr  nn  DM  hna  ^ns%n  nsyai 

NH30  DV  ^i?  DT^B  HJD^N  DS^N  mya  ^Np  }KB    '  Dl»  D" 

nn"w  mio  nr^n  niD1  jy^oa  TH  Tnn  'ipb  nv 
no 


19  b 

;KB  '"iyx  Nna  urn  M^N  nx^N^  TND  itrxn  /y  nay  N!>  nyn 


n^n  ronb  my^  j^ya  opo 
i>a  ejDBDB'  w  nyna  pai  Jin  pa  n^tr  pa  TW  'ipi>  r^j 
N^  JOIN  tapDB*  "i  pnio  N^  ^ax  PIDSDOI  ejain  nna  n«n 
^x  IDW  jsa  }N*a  ny^n  nx  nn^a  NMK>  yao  noisa  5 
'ipb  nanp11  pnp  yo  nNnxa  n^y  ^>pn  VID  my^  pj»aan 
a  intb  »noi    Anion3  tr^  K»aoi  nyna  i>po  nyB>  nuan 
jpb:  P^n  ma  nmtrnhi  uy  3j*a  noja  nna  nox^K 
nivo  c>^a  n^n  IDNJ  'ipi>  naoj  DN*K  ^»an  nb  INI 
rfa^  mxo  ono  n^n^a  inim  D»noi>  KDLJ^DDI  n^j^Di  p»  10 


1.  16.  nn«  DV]    Read  .  .  .  DW. 

1.  17.  nyj?]    Read  ni'l^l.     Instead  of  second  '•jnn  read  HI  '•in. 

1.  20.  Ibid.,  i,  4- 

1.  23.  76»y.,  i,  7.     n3KTI]    The  printed  edition  has  ncnn  in  both  places. 

Fol.  19  b,  I.  3.    Ibid.,  6,  3.    Both  readings  PJD3D  and  D3D3  are  recorded  j 
the  former,  however,  is  to  be  preferred. 
1.  6.    Nazir  4  a. 

1.  9.    S»/^  Zw/a,  as  quoted  in  Midrash  ha-Gadol  (ed.  Horovitz,  p.  34). 
l.io. 


178         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

|NDT   |D  'ifD  NED  DpD^  iTlVD  HD  by  NDB'bl  H1VD  nrfan 

pw  ai»  D'c^p  N^N  mniD  m-N  rmkanm  'ipb  NDV  pn^n  row 
WNDT  rutwrb  INS  IN  D»Dvi  nNta  nv  SONS  pip  rrby 

fKfi  W  NT  }N3   JN  WK1   Ij^  VIS  ^TJ  'ipl    *  D^V  TH  N!? 

^NI  by  vn^N  nra  »a  'ip^>  HITT^N  can  7N3  noi^B  NV">PN  JNS  15 
aa  INI  n^y  HDJ^N  31:13  *ov  H^NI  :"iy5y  "6  PNB'  p3i  lytj'  i^  wv  p3 
IN  ny3  ID&X  not^fi  Kn^Nyob  npnjnDtD^N  bm6i6n  jy 
ws  nnw  1|1|i^3  ^3  'ipi>  N3DJ  ^irnpn  ITS  ID  NHP^DN  '•n^N 
n  nr  nn  n^rsi  nn:  pn:  TU  HNJ  NH-'N  nna  nr  nn  T»  NH^N 
nr  »in  jna  n^i>  ^y  nn  ^3^30  ^nn  ^D^DO  vnn  nra  wi  20 
INQ  TW  U»K  DIN  csm  nna  DIN  TND  -i  nna-xs  ^y  nn 
33Ni  n^ii>  norb>  N^D  mxtrN^N  mn 

DIN  b^n  n"31  DniDN   p*ir3  *"W»3   DIN 


20  a. 


in'  }N  w  ':i  'y  /n    nnn  nr  >a  'ps  n^D  mxn    N   an*  IN 

L  13.    Nazir  44  a. 

1.  15.    Sifre  Numbers,  section  25  (p.  8b). 

1.  18.    Nazir  2  a.     A  few  slight  variants. 

1.  21.  DHB^a]  The  mishnic  text  has  D*nB5f  without  3.  From  the 
amoraic  discussion  on  33  it  would  appear  that  our  manuscript  has  preserved 
the  better  reading. 

1.  23.    Tosefta  Nazir  i,  i  ;  Nedarim  10  b. 

1.  24.  *C&n  S3^n]  Nedarim  10  b.  This  does  not  form  a  continuation  of 
the  preceding.  It  is  hardly  possible  that  Hefes  had  an  entirely  different 
text,  and  it  is  therefore  best  to  assume  that  some  such  word  as  vNpl  fell  out. 
WptJD]  The  printed  edition  has  NJpinD.  But  our  reading  is  preferable. 
See  Nedarim  loa. 

Fol.  20  a,  1.  i.    NJNTD'D]    Read 
1.  a.    Num.  6.  6. 


ARABIC   TEXT  1  79 


}na  ij     naan  r    nr  foo  rrvj  p»  c>  sns  nivo  no  fa 

mao  no  iN*oi  ima  pai>no  vn  firman?!?  PWDO^O  p'K  "vrai 
'M  NOB*  DIN  cam  Tra  NDB>  i>Ni  hna  ;na  NOB*  DIN  nry^N  -i  5 
N'ao  iaw  i>na  jna  NDI^  -inr^K  n  in^>  ON  hi:  ;na  NOD-  ^NI 

J31P  K'3D  NlHtJ'  TM   NOD"1  ^Nl  inNOQ  ^V  pip 

jna  xoD11  ^w  nytj>  n^np  incmpE'  TW  NOU* 
pinw  KIIP  onap  ^  pKt8>  b  mxo  no  Nin  nw  ^NPI  :ohy 
mn  n-'oa  man  nnnn  ^N  ejNW^  :mso  no  sin  nr  WK  paw  10- 


n^o  fo  TO  jo  twK  ojri  npis  NOB  sonm  pooa  jn  |to  IN  noia 
n«ran  niNOD  I^N  ^y  nTa  •'Qi  n^T  "a  'ip^  Nnpa  NOB  nawin  iNipo 


nnn  NI^O  ^jn  f>va  n'-ra  bjn  non  ;o  nna  bjn  non  ^y  n^:o 
'  »nn  fo  i3»N  byi  non  ;o  ITN  ^jn  nfatai  ^yi  nm^n  bjn 

yi  }yao  i>jn  m  ai?  »xn  i>jn  movy  ap  ^vn  ^yi  »wia  ntra  15 
^N  ;o  ai?N  nyn^N  "a  ^N  Kin  nn^JD^  *n"iiy^a  o^y  ^jn  I^-IN 
api  ib  B^  no  Nin  HPN  pan  ian  ap-ii>N  nna>  ^a  i^Npi  U*!?N  ^va 
no  Nin  nr  Ds:aN  ^  na^-n  --aa  i?y  tr^  !>&»  jnNa  ony  napati'  no 
B^  ^B>  inNa  iniosa  napa  apn  b  p«B»  no  Nin  nrNi  apn  ii?  B^e» 
N^N  apn  pN  N^iy  ON  apn  b  ;w  no  Nin  nn  Q'aaN  ^  nsxi  ^y  20 
pn  NODO  noaa>  ^3  ian  i^Npi  niovyn  joi  onyn  joi  nt^an  jo  Nan 


I.  3.  Nazir  47  a.  Some  interesting  variants.  See  Sifre  Numbers, 
section  26  (p.  9  a). 

1.  9.    'Erubin  17  b,  Yebamot  89  b,  Nazir  43  b  ;  see  also  Semahot  4,  29. 

1.  10.  nt]  Insert  pN  before  this  word.  It  probably  fell  out,  because  in 
the  manuscript  it  resembled  inN  • 

1.  ii.    IN]    Read  fN. 

1.  12.    Nazir  49  b. 

1.  15.    IN^O]    Read  fNS?O. 

1.  16.    li?nN]    Readf^HN. 

1.  17.  Nazir  51  a.  There  are  some  variants,  and  our  manuscript  offers 
superior  readings. 

Lao.    nn]    Delete  the  1. 

1.  21.  Ibid.  The  printed  text  has  Dnn  J3n  instead  of  tan,  and  NOB 
instead  of  NODO.  Niddah  55  a  has  NODO,  while  Ohalot  3,  3  has  NOD. 


180         IIEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

njp-iBn  :NCD  S>an  pan  nytrai  piaxm  ^y^n  pi  o-wn 
ny  Tta  b  'ian  hp  iin  Wn  JNC^N  Nin  »a  n»r«b  *vaa 
rpa  a-intro  Tia  enpon  rva  annsyo  -ina  enpon  nu  ann 

H  JPK-IB&K  &N  wmt?  nn     :TW  irs  j^npon  25 


ao  b 


JTNIB'  a  |Dno<  DDPN  NDND 
'pa  "n^Ka  NS^N  m«^N  nown       *nao  ^K^ 


.13  ma  ND  i?yD  ^y  nnn  '•inp*  n»t?jn  n^>ip  'ai  Vjn 
bs  i«a  }N  na  nnc£y  yo  ^n  ^ya  ^y  nnn  JH  nn  DNI^N 

*a  ^s?i  Hv^^  P  ivab  nnnw  if  nn  n^yi  'ipi>  waoo  nh  5 
enpm  poirn  paiy  ^N  Tn^«  /w^  i"13  nr  ^i"13  "|{J'N3  1^n  n"1^ 
n  Tea  n^an  pirn  tjnpn  nr  nma  n^sa  nana  w  nma 


noaa  ^y  snpy  ipy^  wio-"  c)^n  IN  rbb  N-na  m:  i?n  nroxn 

n"a  jy  ana  ND  yv:a  ^»y^  b  ni>ip  b^y  10 


NJDVI  mo  a?  p  jsa  INI  nmaa  ND*N  n^y  aa^  ^PNI^N  'ai 


*n-na  Dpo  ^pNy  N!?I  -na  xoa  D^Ny  N^  ,Na  JNB  ^n  -na  npi 
a1"  N^S  N^pNy  |Na  JNS  NnnNi  NDVI  nao  a^  p  ^PN  naNor  |N3 
nao  a'  jaN  mNa  ini  JNS  INS  rbya  by  N"ns%p  j«a  jNa  nma 
PN  D^  ^Npa  na  ma  ND  !?ya  naam  t6pH91  Nnpia  NDB  Nnnw  15 

1.  23.    Nazir  32  b.     The  Mishnah  has  "lta£5>  ?3. 

1.  24.  The  last  three  words  of  this  line  and  the  first  of  the  following  are 
to  be  deleted  as  dittography. 

Fol.  20  b,  1.  2.    TlNl^N]    ReadTlNabN.     '131  Ni'lD]    Deut.  23.  24. 

1.  5.    Si/re  Deuteronomy,  section  265  (p.  121  b\  1.  6.    Ibid. 

\.  7.  nma  1^N3]  Read  n~QT  "lt?N.  The  confusion  arose  through 
this  clause  in  the  preceding  line.  1.  10.  Num.  30.  3. 

1.  15.  NPVnD]  J-a=»-  =  he  discriminated,  differentiated.  I  translated  this 
participle  by  a  noun  to  suit  the  Hebrew  idiom,  as  pn3J3  VVn  NP  would  not 
bring  out  the  exact  force  of  the  original. 


ARABIC    TEXT  l8l 


3   p  ip    .ma  nxs'N  o:a  n3  nanss?  NI  n3  D"p  «     m  nma  n 
nat?  5'  p  ppi33  viia  IHN  DW  KM  y  p  ppi33  vii3  ins  nvi  mt? 
»a  i>y  FIN  njn  JDTH  mip  nitry  B£B>  $o  ppim  pep  vma  nnx  on 
pw  pna  ;nnia  px  p^ipn  ^n  nc'h  pn:  >D  D^  ps  pynv  piciNty 
B«6  pjni*  PN  px  pnewt!'  »a  i?y  PIK  nrn  JDM  "IHN^  enpn  p^Pn  2° 
•n-n  "a  'ipi  Knpn  i^npni  om:  J.TTU  p^ipn  »o  01^1  jm:  »o 
12m  NENVD  n^N  n^K  DON  p*  JKI  n:N»ai  mj^s  nn^  »inp»  '«i>  m: 

JNS   NJ3CB   nmj   H^K  "jyC/K   |N3   IN  »3nnDK3  mji»N  |N3   fN   »3nnDK^>N 

I^D^K'  nma  ma  ns  iistm?  nx  'ipb  Nt:pso  II^NB  pco  N^  j«a 

21  a 

asi  :  ma  I^N  w5>  DNI  ma  nr  nn  i^ 


pin  jaipb  D«wa  I^N  nn  Diip  nap  nap  ntswn  'ipi>  ma^x  »a  KID 
*w»a  I^N  nn  rr.si  nna  p^ia  nini'  p^o  I^K  nn  sjin  Tin 


mn 

^a  n:"3  DIK  '•NCJ^  n"3  'ipi>  mj^N  5 
31  yn  ona»3  ><|13<|3  nswn  H3M  pnnio  p»ia»3 
V  3i  y»n  mm 


1.  16.  D^p]  (JiolS  =  A^  compared,  measured.  No  adjective  j^Jls  is 
elsewhere  recorded.  '131  3*  p]  Niddah  45  b. 

1.  17.    Delete  the  last  four  words  of  this  line  and  the  first  three  of  I.  18. 

1.  19.  pK]  The  Aramaic  form  of  the  first  person  plural  is  quite  clear  in 
our  manuscript  for  all  these  cases. 

1.  22.    "1311]     This  infinitive  is  still  governed  by  ^Tlp11.     The  clause 

NSNi'JO  .  ,  .  DDK  p*  JN1  is  inelegantly  thrust  in  between  the  two  infinitives. 

~-°  ° 
1.  23.    '•annDJCN]     *LLi:^J  =  exception,  or  condition.     IN]   This  word  is 

scarcely  correct,   as  the  following  clause  does  not  form  a  parallel  to  the 
preceding.     We  should  perhaps  read  JS  ^,511. 
1.  24.    Sifre  Numbers,  section  153  (p.  56  a). 

Fol.  21  a,  1.  2.    Nedarim  10  a. 

1.  5.    Ibid.,  10  b.     Some  of  the  words  nre  corrupt. 

1.  6.    i^n]    Insert  Dni31  before  this  word. 

1.  7.    WapO]    Read  Wn3p»,  or  N3n'3pD  in  accordance  with  the  other 


182         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


msna  p  font?  Wtpr  tatt*  f*W*  nrm  10 

ta    DN  N^   Nfia'P  ^N)BB>  CK  £tVP90 


rma  NpiB>  nn"2B>  'ip     coM  »D  KID  n 

«w»3  I^K  nn 

va  KiTB>  ny  p    ww    xna  oaK  f)P^^  *no  *|Vicnbin  15 
i?ya  ]y  i»K3p3xi  DB3^«  nvn  'vnp11  po»  waa  ^y  "IDS  IDN!? 
wn  nrs  'ip^  n^y  noinn  N^N  n!?i3  ^n>  JN  xb  n^ya  na» 
y  nn  yi^a  n  n  nos?  DVI  enpcn  n*3  u  mna>  DV3 


vao  Nwn  ^33  v^y  y 

nx  non^  N^  inicn  nx  IIDN!? 


words.  SK'ED  S|D1>  31  W]  The  Wilna  edition  has  HK^BD  ^H.  But 
according  to  Rashi  it  is  obvious  that  the  first  word  ought  to  be  'JJ"! .  That 
commentator  takes  the  second  word  as  the  name  of  a  scholar.  But  our 
manuscript  would  seem  to  indicate  that  5)01*  21  fell  out  in  the  printed  text. 
It  appears  that  both  readings  are  corrupt.  N^p^^]  Read  S^plfl  or  D^plPI. 

1.  8.  tODnn]  Read  fcOmn  or  D»3"in.  N»Bin]  Read  N^BIH  or  D'Sin. 
PIDV]  Read  after  this  word  :  N3PITBD  NJniJD  N3pt3D.  See  above,  notes  on 
fol.  19  b,  1.  24,  and  fol.  20  a,  I.  i . 

1.9.    Ibid. 

I.  10.  PKD*3E']  The  printed  text  has  PNVl'Q^,  which  is  more  correct, 
as  may  be  seen  from  the  following  line. 

1.  ii.    CK]    Insert  ^Nplpt?  before  this  word. 

1.  ra.    73]    This  word  ought  to  be  deleted  as  dittography. 

1.  13.    niV3C?]    Ibid.,  10  a.     Read  nrn3B>. 

1.  14.    nniD2]    The  printed  edition  has  TM33. 

1.  15.    Yerushalmi  Nedarim  i. 

I.  17.  Tosefta  Nedarim  i,  4.  The  phraseology  is  entirely  different  here. 
See  Yerushalmi  Nedarim  i,  i. 

1.  19.    Si/re  Numbers,  section  153  (p.  56  a).     Insignificant  variants. 

1.  21.    -)Dr6]    Read  THH^. 


ARABIC    TEXT  183 


1D1X  NIH  WB3          'lp>   HDSJ       V  HOWS 

ra  nyanoo  »t?  'b  «£n  f 


21  b 

nyi3B>  y3t?j  pnv  n  DM  rvf?  poo 
M»  N^N  m:  jsa  nn^N^  jBn"i  mx 
nr  i?x3  n:^p  'ip^  noaiD  n!?n^  mnaa  nyw»  ^3  nnv 
naian  in^n  3^  ns»  naia  Ni>m  i!?  IIDM  3^  yn 
n  baa  TMD  n  iTnm  n»n  HB^D  oten  ^23  Mb'M  nmn  5 
u^M  mM3D  n^y  onn'-a  n^ys  n*3  po»  N^N  ma  jxa 
D3m  I-ND  n  n3T  n«by3  inio  rrsn  p  mian  '^  n^y  ^n^x 
N^K  TTJ  jNa  n^33  inio  n^yn  p  -nian  nun  ^33  rshy  DIM 

n33i?N  ny»  Dirra  Dni?^  5>3M» 
T3331  nap3i  0^:131  ^^13  mow  iw  y»o  ^33  -JIDN  n^n  JD  10 
ma  JNB  :D»3am  D1|jn3  inioi  niaiys  IIDNI  D"3ip  jns? 
N  n^y  onn-'a  NIK'  $>3  nn»a  npyn  D^  ttw 
»IB>D  b  n^y  nnrva  MIB«  MD 


1.  22.  DU"1]  The  omission  of  |N  after  tlJ*  is  hardly  defensible,  and  is 
unusual  with  Hefes.  '131  1B>B3  by]  Ibid. 

Fol.  21  b,  1.  i.    Nedarim  153,  Shebu'ot  253. 
1.  2.    J^Vl]    Read  ftyil. 

1.  3.  '131  D31p]  Nedarim  66  a.  '•JK']  This  is  an  interesting  contraction 
of  'JK5?.  Comp.  *rb  for  '•nsb  (i  Sam.  25.  6). 

1.  6.    I13N3D]     For  the  infinitive  ,jlxL  see    Dozy,   5.  v.     The  usual 

infinitive  of  .jXl  is  (j»X-». 

1.  7.  Nedarim  56  a.  Hefes  naturally  decides  according  to  the  opinion  of 
the  sages. 

1.  9.    Ibid.,  54  b. 

1.  10.    13331]    After  this  word  the  printed  text  has  3^31. 

1.  ii.  11DN1  DUIp  fruy  "OBO]  These  words  are  missing  in  the  printed 
edition  which  continues  with  JYlBiyi.  0^13]  That  text  has 

1.  12.    N^N      Insert  ^N"1  after  this  word. 


184 


HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


!>a  rt^y  cnrra  nta  XD  ^3  bxp  ,xa  IDD^  r6xo  x^x  rv^y  mrr 
ih  ^xcynox  mna  ptr^x  <by  Dirp  xrfax^  T£K  r6y^xi  mboo  15 
x^x  -IIDX  px  "bvn  p  Tmn  'ipi>  mo  -n^xa  y:n»x  x»"a 
rvtan  p  p&tn  ba  -non  nyia  <JB> 

xb  '^pi  prnfen  ba  nyiu  >:K>  n»^D  n 

ip  jN3  IN  |N»ri?x  <a  ftoiM^tc  yo  ^n 

yuxp  rbya  jy  ynp  N^^  n^ya  nnp^a 

<ivnpiia  K  N  nan  ^n^  vb  •'jyci  WN  bva^N  »B  i^n  x:nn^  npi 

nTa     3  HDB3  'B    D'3PI   }N3   }N1   mn3  p*1   }N  inw^  33*  X^l 

na11  nan  r,\n^  Hm  phn  vnnn  ntyy  N^  nan  frr  N^  'ipi>  ni 

22  a 
IB*  N 
onn« 


rrnrr  n    n 
n^on  p 
^KIVIDM  23ss  nan  ^m 

jsa  ;Ka  ISDT  ni>  in  20 
»B    ^n 


VBtD  x^vn 


?mo 
'•van  ^ 


xin  N 
^>ax  ^ 


pnm  wsj 

I  nan  ^n> 

i^x  vian 


n^no  in:11  ;x  nr  nn:!?x  jxa  ;x  nn^x  ^ya 


oca 

1.  15-  vV]  The  suspended  H  is  perhaps  a  remnant  of  XnH,  as  it  is  quite 
impossible  to  read  flvy. 

1.  16.  Nedarim  51  b.  The  word  VHSn  is  missing  in  the  printed  edition, 
as  this  paragraph  is  a  continuation  of  the  preceding. 

1.  17.    ^y]    Read  ^. 

1.  18.    i?23]    Insert  11DX  before  this  word. 

1.  22.  nDB3  ^B]  This  seems  to  be  a  Hebraism  representing  ICi'ya, 
since  this  law  applies  also  to  an  actual  sage,  and  not  merely  to  one  who 
considers  himself  as  such. 

1.  23.  '131  bl"P  N?]  Sifre  Numbers,  section  153  (p.  56  a).  See  Nedarim 
81  b.  "13*]  Insert  X7  before  this  word. 

Fol.  22  a,  1.  2.  Hagigah  10  a,  Berakot  32  a.  The  confusion  of  7PID  with 
^ITlE,  due  to  the  plene  spelling  ?n*D,  is  also  in  Hagigah.  brVD  is  the  only 
correct  reading. 

1.  3.    Nedarim  16  b.     Read  7ITD  in  both  places. 

1-  5.  37a?X]  This  is  obviously  intended  as  a  broken  plural  of  JLJIT. 
Such  a  form  is,  however,  nowhere  else  recorded. 


ARABIC    TEXT  185 

nnw  jrwei  nairn  N^I  ataa  N^  NITON  rra  "a  nnw  jn:n 


nnpy  IN  n     NTU  rma  HNIDN  IVN  newi  jruo  *t 
IDONI  NITON  Nnynoa  NiTNnv  ^xn  »a  NTON  n^i  ••a 
nnsn  Nnoaj  »5>y  nmpyi  nnma  H^N  Nmipjji  xmna  jrcaa  10 


ai  i?  *na  mn  o  n^Ni  'pa 


x  «n    naa» 

IN  mK3>  na*  n^a  nN  JNDT^NI          'ai  'nix  iT3«  N^n  DNI  ';i  nij 
HJD  y  naaxa  sni?py  Nipno^  |N  -i":  p  n^ya  na11  K"na  -njn 
SDNB  ^1  ^b  Nr£pj£  py  IN  N^N  DTI^M  npia  sea  Nnnw  15 
sns'a  Km*u  ny  N^a  Nnan  NOB  mo  N^  s*n 
^N  nbca  'a  xn^py  "IK~P»  jy  nna^a  rmaa  mo 
IN  smna  NHUN  fa-a  ND^ND  Nrvmr  N^py  J 


;KB  11 

N^  Nmua  ^ao    py  run  HJNS  fsa  wnma  nan  xnay  20 


1.  6.    naiTO]    This  word  is  rather  illegible  in  the  manuscript,  but  the 

•«•«»* 
conjecture  Aajt^e  is  self-evident.     riDIpE]    This  is  a  Hebraism  representing 

ncnpo. 

i.  7.  nataiD]  Read  naiato. 

1.8.    n^N]    Vulgar  spelling  of  n"N. 

1.  9.  "]DJ2N1]  Sa'adya  adds  the  word  NH3y  after  this  one.  Indeed  the 
Arabic  idiom  requires  it,  and  it  corresponds  in  this  case  to  Hebrew  fv. 
This  word  probably  fell  out  by  oversight,  as  Hefes  uses  it  below,  1.  20,  and 

on  fol.  23  b,  1.  4. 

1^ 
1.  u.    "pn]    Vulgar  spelling  of  isJLJ,  due  to  pronunciation.     In  a  number 

of  Genizah  fragments  I  found  this  system  of  transliteration.     Thus  .3  till 


becomes  -OTlN.     Nn^Nn]    Read  nn3NH. 

1.  12.    Num.  30.  4-6. 

1.14.   N^pnD^]   Tenth  conjugation  of  LS  he  investigated.    nJ3N]   Incorrect 
spelling  of  OCJ  by  wrong  analogy  of  ^SL     It  may  also  be  a  vulgar  spelling 

of  ijLjI. 

LL  *""^  *"" 

1.  15.     PPD]    This  may  represent  JJli  dullness,  or  Ali.  deficiency.     The 

latter  is  naturally  preferable  by  the  side  of 


i86         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


sea  inw  x»vi  mo  a*  xr    ;na» 
na  '•an  N^  Nnaw  JKB^K  Kin  'B  rma  n:N3  xsa  K 
NDB  N?  Nnh  n^xpbxi  ixnaKSDK  'a  *]in  i?ya  fto  fx  rma 


22  b 

'ip!>  rcrna  xnnr^  s^a  nnina  ^«a  no^Ny  KfiJKa  xnan 
I  n3B>  msw  nv\v  nn  ppnaa  nm:  nnx  DVI  HJB>  m^y  K?  m 
nj  nnx  DVI  n:^  a<  p  mcry  D^HB'  5>a  ppnm  p»v  n 


DTI?  m^y  B>      ?3  ppniai  p»'P  vma  nnx  DM  na^  r  p  p 
p«  i^ipn  -D  osrh  pma  ^o  DB£  p«  pjnv  noKB'  ^a  ^y  n^  wn  5 


ps  px  none'  ^a    y  ^x  nrn  prn  nns  enpn  jenpn  pw  oma  nnma 
*enpn  j^npni  oma  jnmj  penpn  s»  owh  PTU  *D  DI^  pjnv 
V  nma  nnx  nvi  nay  a;  na  'm  ^ip  pa^K  n-nv^x  jo  jxa 
nnyj  pa  ps  *?WDV  hp  aai  n^a  no  N!J  n^y  Nbiy»  s^ip  r 

na  TBX  noi>K  mn^N  mn  pn  jx  1:63  D»ann  ne^  N^X  nn:a^  10 
}y  rbx  HJD  JNOJ  "a  npna^N  JNI  3;^N  njoi?N  p 
-na^K  p^  rma  N»y  KnnJ^OD  wnao 
n  p  IN-HN^X  nsiNCN  jyi  xnn  jy  pna«j  wnao  »axn 
saaoo  n^i  ns  pnny^  ^n  ^ps  Kna»  na«yi>K  "a  "TIDN  nyc? 
ba  na^n  nnyt?  TIP  n^antr  npia^n  'ip^  'sai  nao  N'  jnao  15 


1.  21.    ^yin]    Eighth  conjugation  of  Icj  Af  claimed. 


Fol.  22  b,  1.  i.    NOB]    To  be  omitted  as  dittography. 

1.  2.  Niddah  45  b.  The  form  of  the  first  person  plural  is  Aramaic.  See 
above,  note  on  fol.  20  b,  1.  19. 

1.  6.    DiTma]    To  be  deleted  as  dittography. 

1.  8.    Loc.  at. 

1.  9.    Niddah  65  a,  Ketubot  39  a. 

1.  ir.  '2?3,>X]  Perhaps  vulgar  HUS.  See  above  fol.  3  b,  1.  15,  and 
fol.  16  a,  1.  12. 

1.  15.  Niddah  52  a.  The  part  unnecessary  for  our  purpose  is  omitted  in 
the  quotation. 


ARABIC    TEXT  187 

nvun  NO  Nn^>y  ar  pnw  nnaj  ip  |N3  INB  m-inn  nniosn 

PNJ  1^1    Nn^>   J13J'   D^>   }N3  JN3  1^   NH13N  ni3  JN1  PlbyS   TO»  NOO 

^sro  'nm  ^>NPI  a'ta  rao^N  INOT  »a  Nnnru  pa  wn^tn^ 
na»  I^N  ^ma  npirn  miy  naa  tan  bma  ma  ntwa  rban 
nn*  "B'yDni  nns^voa  •'NST  rvox  mi  irai  cniy:n  20 
niB>i  na  n^aN^  PN  iTuat?  jora 


naaa  nao  M^N  asn  i^pi  mn  NDDD  nns  tw  na  npirn 


23  a 

nyn  »n  ^NI»^  Nman  »n^N  nn^N^x  nno^N  }N  ^N  nip  am 
men  nsron  NO  nnx  ^y  n^aa  ^IP^N  ;o  onpn  ND'-ai  mo 
Nnnoipn  vh^  *ai  nyn^N  mn  »a  IDN^NI  TU^N 

1DN   pN  1DN   mDNl  'nUI  ^Npl  N0n3»3  Sji>3   N^>  JN1D 

y  IDN  moN  IN  OIN  NIH  p  nyia^  5 


N03  nna3K  nua  ney  yo 
p^  na  nob  npi  ^a  i?*i  noa  n^a  nruaN  KTOKS  rw  on  nru3« 

*wn»  nr  nn  ""ntrN  Nina>  w^n  mao  "IONI  ina  mu 
nyND  Nn:y  HDON  INI  rb  piano  Nn^  ny  nb  t^nnni  'yy 


1.  18.    Ibid.,  47  a.     A  few  phraseological  variants. 

1.  19.  7i"fl3]  The  printed  text  has  bni3.  As  in  Arabic  aLLaG  denotes 
an  unmarried  woman,  it  is  quite  possible  that  the  original  reading  is 
preserved  here. 

1.  31.    N'N3X^N1]    Ijllo  is  plural  of  i^~o  a  girl. 

\.  23.  "Dl  npl^n]    Ibid.,  43  b.    131  3Nn]    Nedarim  70  a. 


Fol.  23  a,  1.  4.    S»//-«r  Numbers,  section  153  (p.  56  b). 
1.  5.    p]    Read  pi  in  accordance  with  customary  usage. 
1.  6.    Loc.  cit. 

1.  9.    Loc.  cit.     See  Nedarim  86  b,  Tosefla  7,  4.    A  few  phraseological 
variants. 

H.  P 


i88         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

nma  i>a  icpi  'ipi>  "jin  r&  m*  N^Q  H-NI  p  .-6  Nna  on  xrb  TNJN 
no  isitD  N.T  VIN  yois?  ism  mm  D«pi  m-w  DNB>  ';i  IDS 
D^PD  ^N  no  na*B>»  PJN  IN  ID'  N^P  *iy  rr-nj 

T;»  nip11  6*6  6^n  o^pB^io  PJN  IN  D^P  «h?  i 
TN3N  jNs  :~isr6  wn  W»M  HHN  ;w  o^p  DNC>  m:  ^r^  nrnsn  15 
D*p  nan  »pa  'ip!?  i?i  rk*  ^Nii'N  3^py  n^  na  on  nnan  IN 
nr  nnN  nn  IJ'NLJ'  ba  Nan  »NT  yoa'  Nn  Nin  no  nnN  naa  *yb 
TI^NS  nyND  |N»r  i?i  NH^J  p5>DN  JNS  a^n  W»N  nnN  naa 


»Snp^a  'ai  lyctr  ova  nniN  n<a«  N^n  DSI  D^iyb  »a»^  n«p  nb 
H^D  f?ap  nyoo  IN  Nmu  na^a  JKQ  i^n  nj^a  IN  n»a  Kni'KDD  DV  »a 

1.  ii.  rf?  NH3]  Something  obviously  fell  out  after  these  words  which 
can  only  mean  it  appeared  to  him,  it  seemed  fit  to  him.  We  may  supply  after 
rh  some  such  word  as  JAC,  and  take  |D  in  the  sense  of  }y.  It  is  also 
possible  to  insert  after  iTN~l  the  phrase  t»JJi  Jjo  or  (»]iJj  »_^c>  and  consider 
JD  as  the  casual  point  of  departure,  the  origin  and  source  of  a  thing  (see  Wright, 
Arabic  Grammar,  vol.  II,  p.  131  B).  A  third  possibility  is  to  emend  JlO  into 
apy,  and  thus  reduce  the  sentence  to  the  form  in  which  it  occurs  below,  1.  16. 
Although  the  last  suggestion  appears  to  be  the  simplest,  it  is  graphically  the 
unlikeliest.  For  it  is  more  reasonable  to  assume  that  some  words  were 
overlooked,  rather  than  that  the  copyist  misread  apy  for  }D.  '131  ICpl]  Si/re 
Numbers,  section  153  (p.  57  b).  Slight  variants. 

1.  16.  a^py]  An  infinitive  »_>wt5c  is  nowhere  else  recorded.  It  is, 
however,  impossible  to  assume  that  <_$1.J!  ^_^£e  represents  nnN  n33,  or 
TOT  H3  "Jin,  as  the  sentence  would  then  be  corrupt,  apart  from  the 
difficulty  involved  in  the  usage  of  (j\.  .  'lai  <ya]  Nedarim  69  b. 

1.  18.  a^n]  This  word  is  missing  in  the  printed  text  The  taimudic 
passage  obviously  means  :  a  law  which  is  inapplicable  to  things  done  one  after 
another,  does  not  apply  to  them  even  when  they  are  done  simultaneously. 
Rashi  is  accordingly  right  in  interpreting  Rabba's  decision  to  imply  that  the 
father  is  not  allowed  to  absolve  the  vow  under  these  circumstances.  Hefes, 
however,  quotes  this  passage  in  support  of  his  view  that  the  father  has 
a  right  to  absolve  the  vow,  as  may  be  clearly  seen  from  "pT  n^S  (I.  16). 
The  addition  of  the  word  a^fl  which  he  had  in  his  text  led  him  to  this 
interpretation. 

1.  19.    Ibid.,  70  a.     A  r/sww/of  a  long  discussion  is  given  here. 


ARABIC    TEXT  189 


D*TW  man  'ip^>  sn^y  nan^a  nax^x  nya  » 

"jBnne>  ny  nae>m  nap  ^a  nao  nas?  "hi>a  nvu  ixrxa  nvn  !?a 

nan!?  ha*  px  nan  xh  na^n  DNS?  it?nn  *6e>  *iy  nao  nat?n  oy  rrv« 


23  b 

L  L0""3 

ny?  nyo  DW  psw  "i  na  -iryT'x  -n  nm.T  n  na  »or  n  nvn  ba  man  wan 
wnpnb^M  Ncsa  jirn  inwa  na^n  PN  ^  p  n  DN  na  p  pyov  n  OK 
Ta  Kmpjn  Nmnaa  nj^a  IN  n^n  yoo  nv  Ha  snonpo  xmnn:K  Ni^a 
yen  'ai  rji  wtb  iTnn  vn  DNI  'pa  xn^y  nan  npa  Nnjy  ^Dlox  JNB  nnaxn 
mn  }s  ^y  h^i^s  soxa  'ai  ''x  yiDK'  ova  OKI  'a 
ii  snar  jsa  rrem«  ir  nrw!>  n'nn  vn  nxi  'ip  naiaro 
naoa  n^  m11  N^  NO»  ^ni  npBT3  nh«  j»  n^ 
n*i?y  Nn^  ana  XD  xb  Nn^o  p^xa  xn^x  yan^a  i^n  b«  ID 

n^y  nrnji  nainaa  N^  xxn  omj  n^y  INVJDJI  cno  non  'ip^ 
^I  icpin  vbv  om3  n^y  nmji  'ipb  nann  nh  loan  o^  ^n^s  nn^xa  10 
nini^x  jroa  naoa  np  ^K  n^x  Bjm  npi  nnair^  hp'  [x  ^ya^i?  ru11!  nain 
cix  inwnb  oaan  vbv  ny  i?yan  pi  'ipb  naoa  rat  *ni>x  n^ii  nn: 
pna-io  }n  nn  *n^n^  ^ojan  x^sr  ny  n-rw  Dm: 


1.  22.  Ibid.,  76  b.  A  short  clause  is  omitted.  Is  that  clause  an 
interpolation  ? 

Fol.  23  b,  1.  2.  'm  pyjDJ?  n  1DX]  In  the  Talmud  there  is  a  long 
discussion  between  nyp  and  this  sentence.  Is  the  omission  accidental,  or  is 
that  passage  an  interpolation  by  the  Saboraim  ? 

1.  4.    Num.  30.  7-9. 

1.  6.    Sifre  Numbers,  section  153  (p.  57  a). 

1.  7.    npCTD]    £-°-*--«  =  affliction,  inconvenience. 

1.  8.  TvXa]  (j^-J^-  =  pure.  Here  apparently  it  denotes  without 
increase  or  addition. 

\.  9.    Kiddushin  50  a. 

1.  12.    "131  pi]    Nedarim  72  b.     Read  pi. 

1.  13.  <lD33HnK'a,>]  Delete  the  last  ».  It  would  be  more  idiomatic  to 
read  D3ani?O  with  printed  text. 

P  2 


190         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


rma  fxa  nan>    a*  px 

ian  x^>i  3xn  nan  nma  PTBD  n^ym  n'3x  ntmxon  mya  'ip!>  15 
nroax  "in:  IDS  3x^i>  n:11  xh  naic  wx  3xn  nan  xh  ^ynn  nan 
3xn  pxi  -1:03  nao  by^n^  2Nn  n^o  ^ynn  na  na11  'ipb  3^N3  n;xa 
'31  yoen  'IP  p  oipn  ND^  <IIKDO  '31  N  ycc'  ova  '31  rra«  yom  1333 
iy3  p  YU^K  sn^ya  JN133  ^np"a  nl>  n^os  '^  Ncnnna'  n^na^  '31  N 

p3O  iTrro  nntrjn  na^m  n^oai  rmav  nn  'ipb  N^IDBO  H3X3  20 


yccn  '31  n-nj  HE^N  n^3  OKI  7pa  pao  rcnpofa 
^y3^N  f-a  ^inp^a  '31  nox  njn35?  i»ai  ma  b  'ipi  'ai  *ia^  nan 
•na  ^D  :&«to  N'c-a  nbn  «3i3T  3Drn  naiarn  xi?  na5>x3  nonpo 
ix  oa3^x  '•by  ben  xrva  "{?•]  p  --n^x  ^x  n-t^a  '31  IDX  nyn^  bz"\  35 
x  3san  xh  prnn  «h  DXDH^X  bann  *b  "]bi  p  son^a  ix  nxn 


24  a 
Knann  'a  XDE  mn  »ra  XDI  nonan  xh  nnaxai  nn^  ^asn  xh 

^B3  *U»y   }H3  B^B>  D«YW   1BD  X1HB>  Dm3  1^X1  'ip^  DD3^X  IX   D33^X 

x^x  «b  px  li'xpi  uu'pnx  *b  nxi  u^pnx  ox  pnnx  x^  DX  pnnx  DX 
D'pnn  n^x  cni?  D^n  p3D  nrsb  13^3^  DH3T  traa  ^i3^y  jn3 


I.  15.    /W</.,  66  b. 

1.  17.    74w/.,  70  a. 

1.  20.  'lai  nn]  Si/re,  ibid.  r6&31]  Read  either  1^031  (pronominal 
suffix  referring  to  "113  understood),  or  nb  PC31,  as  in  printed  text. 

1.  23.    Num.  30.  11-13. 

1.  26.  X^>]  This  is  rather  too  elliptical.  Read  perhaps  X^X  =  Si. 
The  assimilated  fX  would  refer  to  all  the  following  negatives. 


Fol.  24  a,  1.  2.  Nedarim  793.  Instead  of  the  second  D^TU  the  printed 
text  has  Qn3T  . 

1.  3.  Sif  re  Numbers,  section  155  (p.  583).  Some  phraseological  variants. 
Instead  of  *fy  pX  the  printed  text  has  THEX  X^>. 


ARABIC    TEXT  191 


13  vw  >a    xpa  naoirxi  :in       s^x  pa  rn?D  nx  '«  m*  5 
ia»3  raa  wy  n  pxt?  -an  TO  D'-inx  pab  ira  pai  na^  u-a  pa 
T3x  ••ah  nsx  ""ab  ncny  OP  cap 


BD  IB*  TIED 

T«  nx  i?  yvx  N^  n^n  nx    ?  nnx  K     DDH  nx    ?  aira«     B>  10 
N!J  ':B>  DIBTD  na11  CIN  ta^iDj  pi  nnna  ^y  na^i  isni?  T'nx  ps  noon 
nnsn  xn-rua  wi^>«  I^N  nnon  jo  bxn  N^  Nnjsn  n*na  jxa  ran 
PD»  TK  i^a  ny»3»  DNytD  p  i?3sn  N^K  "jinai  HTJ  ion  ^N  NH^  IN 
DB  na*B  jrs^K  INT  ijy  N^X  uv  «b  ywi»K  INT  }N3  ;KB  nTi  p  rkno 
nna  na*  nr  nn  ^y  tbiyn  nna  D3ip  mcs  e>a;j  *u»y  m:  jn  I^N  'ip^  15 
irx  ^y  nr  y«n  nna  ninx  runco  ni?  sbx  >^y  IT 
^N  nmj  jxa    A-ia>  nr  nn  woo  x^x  inona  nnM 
nx  Nn-n:  n^ann  a:*a  Ni^pa  ftoi  xnbxo  xn^ya 
ps  nina^  nana  »aB>  DJIP  'ip^  Nnpa^i?  nwuoo^n  pya  bx  N.-6 
ax  IK  ^ya  asi    *ntoa3i  nna^ai  opb  manb  NNT  nbia^  nan^  ^ia^  20 
^n  D^y  on  n:3N^xi  n:i^N  ma  fa  nb  pi?DN  inan  n^x  jxa  ^na 


I.  5.  Tosefta  Nedarim  7,  i.  Some  phraseological  variants.  With  the 
exception  of  the  few  scribal  errors  (see  the  following  notes)  our  manuscript 
has  preserved  some  good  readings,  as  compared  with  those  of  Zuckermandel. 

1.9.    ^rDN]    ReadhrOK. 

i.  it.  nanb]  Read-iani>.    naHai]  Readnaiai. 

1.  14.   jra^N]    Read  STK3^K  =  ^UZJI  . 

1.   15      Nedarim  79  b.      Some   phraseological   variants.     The   name   of 
R.  Jose  is  omitted  here. 
1.  16.    «{>«]    Read  N*3\ 

.  ^  p  ,j>  r 

I.  18.  Xn?3ND]  This  =  1^15^.  There  are  many  other  instances 
where  Jewish  writers  use  N  in  cases  where  the  rules  of  Arabic  orthography 
would  require  }  with  a  hamza.  Comp.  "VN^  =  J^*->  (Ibn  Bal'am's 
Commentary  on  Judges,  20,  28,  ed.  Poznaiiski). 

1.  19.     Nedarim  83  b. 

1.  20.    bya  3X1]    Read  .  .  ,  JX1  . 


192  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

thy  x^i  NruD  "f?i  y»D  pta  rh  thy  or  »a  raoa*  JK  rhs>  JKCT 
'ip^>  m  ni^y  DI»  »B  HDDS  r6a  JNDT  nya  ^n  D^y  on  arru  JND 

"OK  i>3K  Dni3  tW  »3K  JHV 

n^Ko  n  -na  nre»  ynv  VK  bx 
JKDT  K 


24  b 
;MB  nnvp»  xh  DHN  na^  nan  DN^  'ip5>  Nnma  n^in  f»a  npa 


}D  pyu  }D 

fto  }N  nax^N  yiJ^N  »B  KSTK  rorva  Komns  ^a  urma  nan  pta 
nan  D'-ajyn  jioi  D'jxnn  JD  nma  rip^  WD 
^I  D»3«n^  nb  D«P  laio  ta  D':»Nni>  «h  5 
iijn  ncyiD  ^t^  njxn  HIDN  DN  ^2^  nnx  m:  NinK*  IET 
ni?  -IDN*  &sxrb  N^I  D"33y^  0*3356  N^I  D^Nni?  n!?  n»nm 

nan 


L  22.  H?  D?y  Dl"1  ''B]  On  the  day  when  he  has  knowledge  is  rather  too 
vague.  We  should  perhaps  read  !"Q  instead  of  J"v,  as  in  the  next  line. 

1.  24.  '131  FTP]  Nedarim  87  b.  D'TBD  (first)]  Insert  la1"  after  this 
word  in  accordance  with  the  printed  text.  Should  our  manuscript  present 
a  genuine  variant,  the  controversy  of  R.  Meir  and  the  sages  would  refer  to 
both  cases. 

Fol.  24  b,  1.  i.  I  was  unable  to  locate  this  passage.  It  may  have  formed 
part  of  one  of  the  halakic  Midrashim. 

1.  4.  Si/re  Numbers,  section  155  (p.  58  b).  If  the  few  scribal  errors  are 
disregarded,  our  text  offers  superior  readings  to  those  of  Friedmann's 
edition.  Comp.  Friedmann's  notes  to  this  passage. 

1.5-    1^M3]    Read  I^D. 

1.  6.  nDID]  Read  HD^D,  dialectic  for  WND.  The  printed  text  has 
more  correctly  VWN. 

1.  9.    D^pl]    °elete  the  1  . 


ARABIC    TEXT  193 


n  w        nmn  invpo  ininty  ma  NPN  iNpi  iroipoa  isnm  10 
naxn  m^xs  naoai  nruax  NPUK  jtbi  nnio  nvm  nroas  TIJ  ioa 
p^x  "j^nai  i^n  nxnaN  IN  nrno  ma  IDB  «5  J»T  IN  aj»  i>a 
na  TUP  niao  int?N  nrw  'ipi>  miN^x  nnaax  n:«3i  nnno  113  -JOB 
p"ip3  rr\~a&  nno  "DO  Twa  rma  incrs*  nm:B>  nno  ina  nm:  ira 
113D  o*3jyn  p  I«D  WKnn  jo  nma  T-m  nma^  TQDS  pnpn  m*u  15 
np  NTOK3  nan  DI»  *a  VCD  ;ND  :  naM  mrn^  nr  nn  n^xnn 


/N  n-»nj  np  n^«  trtn  JD 


:N  'ip  nspo  nip"1  n!?i  jxa  noa:  '•a  «nm3  noa11  JK  Dna'a  ^!3^^  mo 
nat^a  in^xb  DIN  ICN^  N^  nat^a  D'TW  pn^ao  'ip^  imj  naaa  np  20 


pnv  n  ON  PND    oai    Da  ma  nr  nn  TIK> 
nnno  IN^N  JIT^N  "joa^  Nna  »ni>K  bxabspx  pa  s^a  Npna  'nm 
can  pnv  n  6x  ^xpa  Dan^N  naoa^  sna  »n^K  BKB^K  pai 
sas^  naio  OIK  ^ya  nib  xh  nan  pe&i  IDKK>  ^yai  ^ya  p^i?a  noNB>  25 


1.  10.    Mishnah  Nedarim  9,  6.     Babli  66  a  has  1^3)0  instead 
But  our  reading  is  quoted  25  b. 

1.  13.    '131  rmj]    Nedarim  86  b.     n3  TH3>]    Read  tmW. 

1.  14.    13D]    This  word  is  to  be  deleted. 

1.  15.  D^ajyn]  Insert  D'Qjyn  JD  n~nj  which  fell  out  after  this  word 
through  homoioteleuton. 

1.  18.    p^a^n]    Indicative  after  }M  ! 

1.  20.  Ibid.,  77  b.  The  first  three  words  are  quoted  on  p.  77  a,  and 
should  have  been  repeated  here,  for  it  is  on  them  that  the  following 
decision  turns.  See  marginal  note  in  Wilna  edition.  There  are  some  other 
slight  variants. 

1.  22.    p^ND]    Read  P^MD.     pba]    Read  U?a. 

1.  24.  Loc.  eft.  We  have  here  an  essentially  different  reading,  and 
judging  from  the  trend  of  the  discussion,  it  appears  that  our  manuscript  has 
preserved  the  more  genuine  reading.  The  last  sentence  is  found  in  Si/re 
Numbers,  section  153  (p.  55  b). 

1.  25.    Dan]    Insert  -»DN  «b  after  this  word. 


i94         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


13D   D3n  PHI  13D    >ya  N>  naa'N     3N  nB>  DIN 

*Tno  i>ya  PNI 


25  a 

w»a  INa  '31  nBTUi  nao^K  mai  'pa  Nn^y  nnxns  Nncaa  ^y  nmpy 

Komna  jnoaa  KB^K^M  xon^y  33»a  jna  ^an  np  hya 
nma  JNS    *pKnnKn  p  K^I  pwtyan  ID  nsrnii  nao^N  1131  'ipb 
panxa  Noi11  i?  naNDT  n«an»  Nina  pswan  JD  np^co  IN 
n:»^N  -nai  'ip^  «rma  HDQ  ink1?  D^B  ^n  bp  snaKsn  5 
mna  »an 


n*na  np  Nni?yn^  n/Np  INS  :nan^  bw  ia»«  nv 


nnsn  IDB^KB  npi?t3  IN  nbo-iNn  nn  xrbyi  nirsa  Nin  waov  p  KDV  i?  nya 
^y  BJK  DV  D^B>  IHN^  m»ra  »ann  miDNi  ni?  nam  ^ynn  n^nn  NMI  nma  'p!> 

ova  n  nina  IBID  nr  nn  DV  D^^  Tina  ntnana^  IN  ninrwrw  ^a  10 
WN  nnN  ny^  nosy  niB'nb  nN^tr  b  b^an  nr  nanb  ha11  WN  ova  n 
JND  N^N  N^>  Nmipyi  «mna  noa^  IN  r£a  IHNI  oa»  nboiN^  JN3  I 
na11  OIN  nry^N  n  pen11  <|3K'  pai  nnN  oa»  pa  na11  nnoi^  7ip^  jnsa* 
na^ffl  Q*atj6  N^I  nnNi?  N^  DIN  Navy  n  D^B^  N^I  nnN^  DIN 

^N  N^N  ^y  '•iNn^N  5/N  DDP^N  MamtJ>  nn    *yenrp  na  i^n    15 


ja  pan  b^N  DNI  ybwn  ronsao  nsowa  »a  y-NT^N  ID  n^N  fobk 

I.a6.    Mm]    Read  Dam. 

Fol.  25  a,  1.  i.    Num.  30.  10. 

1  3.  Sifre  Numbers,  section  154  (p.  57  b).  The  second  half  of  the 
sentence  is  a  r/sumJ 

1.  5.    Nedarim  88  b. 

1.  7.  D]  The  dot  may  indicate  that  the  letter  is  to  be  deleted,  or  that  it 
is  an  abbreviation  of  p.  The  latter  is  rather  unusual. 

1.  9.    Ibid.,  89  a.     Some  phraseological  variants. 

1.  13.    Ibid.,  743. 

1.  14.    naSl^NI]    See  Maimonides's  Code,  Hilkot  Nedarim,  i,  23. 


ARABIC    TEXT  195 

6  -"in11  *]$n  Tai  nvi¥3D  nwNvn  nnaa  un^xi  tenta  »a  KHJO  rr 


ana/K  fNor  ^K  noaata  ennfou  D'Nna^N  nnaa  x:n  p  ^y  asm  20 
t^N  nya  NonnoKaa  bxn  ^y  saw  JNI  naxmi  oaa-a  xntan  INS 
bi  'ai  yawn  ^a  isr:t2n  n^h  rpa  "laaN^K  ana^K  INJOT  » 
'ai  ^aa  nx  K^iam  7ai  vaa  b  -jhn  bi  'ai  n»nan  bb  'a 
NH3  wtn^N  DD^N  nDNaa  n3  nvp*1  IN  nin«6  ^ya  'ai  yaian  b  'bip 
p  iraa  »3N^w       *Dnaa  N»D»  yaian  p«  'iph  am  p  n^y  KD  25 


25  b 

^IN^N  NH;N  a  ^j?a  nna^x  mn  p  irabw  HDN^^N  <a  NID  nynsaai 
rniao  n^N3  *no  Nnasa  sm^i  SIX^DN^NI  jnphfl  pnyh«i  DN^y^ 
NO  S^N  n^a^x  nhai  n^aa  Dana  Daa11  xi?  snao  ^sn^ND  xn^y  nn^  xi' 
nbi  5)^6  nhi  pi  by  otn  nbi  tea  p  pn  DNJD  nbi  nnaa  nb  snao 
N^S  naan  JND  Kffi^a  oaan  Nn:xa  mht^«  nnn  n^ai  paa  n^ai  HNID  5 
atanm  niyn  nonaa  'ip^  amoi  DJO  na«a  }ND:N^X  nh  NENB  oaan 


1.  20.  nD33,5N]  As  this  word  is  undoubtedly  an  adjective  qualifying 
l  Dttna^tt,  it  cannot  be  the  object  of  3:iH.  We  accordingly  miss 
some  such  words  as  DJJ"1  JK  which  should  be  supplied.  "T2DNPX  aVwN] 
Literally  :  the  larger  sunset.  This  adjective  is  to  emphasize  the  fact  that 
he  is  not  to  become  clean  until  it  gets  utterly  dark.  Owing  to  the  dual 
form  of  Dl|3"iy,  mediaeval  Jewish  writers  divided  the  sunset  into  two  parts. 
See  Rashi  and  Ibn  Ezra  on  Exod.  12.  6. 

1.  21.    N3131*  JSO]    This  is  governed  by  33171. 

1.  22.    Lev.  ir.  24-8. 

1.  24.    IN]    This  word  is  superfluous  and  should  be  deleted. 

1.  25.    Sifra  Shemini,  section  4,  7  (p.  51  b). 

Fol.  25  b,  1.  6.  DN3]  As  this  word  stands  it  does  not  suit  the  context, 
whether  we  take  it  as  ^U*.  or  ^-0.  We  ought  therefore  to  read  DN3,  and 
regard  it  as  an  adjective  of  .^{j  he  was  hairy.  It  would  thus  be  the 

*      9  0~ 

opposite  of  C.OJ^>-      In  order  to   make  the  sentence  complete  we  would 
have  to  insert  some  such  word  as  D33S  before  DS3.     It  is  also  possible  that 


196         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

.  n  ,, 

nx»D  x£D7  pa-iavo  D'abum  n^ipi  on^ni  mcttyni  b^xni  na^pni 

myi  mxn  my  pa>33  i.Tnmyc'  ibxi  xifxi  ntaa  nxcu  x^  bax  p^3ix 
my  Tin  ^ca  ^  nnxan  my  "in  ^  inn  my  nx  ^N  ^^  ^  3>lt:><1  -^  Tim 
n^nt^  ix  payc'  £31  n^xn  nnntj>  my  ij^^n  myi  n^nn  n^  myi  nioian  10 
^i?x  on^x  i!?x  inbx    Amxn  my  p  pin  nninn  may  H3  jnn 
p  n^T3  'ipb  n^x  ^xn^x  DJV  naxa  xnpia  x»a  n^nny»  njinn 

•oa  np  xnpia  xoa  n:in*r  p  ^px  ms'ipo  iiy  'a?K  itai'x 

v^n  innas  i2x  "ip^  n^x  '•ixn^x  DW  naxa  ^no  xpnyi  xEtbyi 

ninai  non  p  nnao  nina  i^ax  my^  nn^>  px  nnnxn  x^\yi  niovyi  15 

^x  ycai  ,nxDDa  PXODD  pn^n  p  ntny3»  ninei  n^a^n  p  nna 
:x-6x  Dijn  x^>a  noajD^x  xnxiryx  p  nnxi  ^31  xnaD  ira^ 
ix  po*  ix  xnnniD"!  ^xn  ^y  nax3  '•no  ^2  onx11  xnyca  5x3 


DX3  is  merely  a  corruption  of  DJ3,  and  the  1  of  the  following  word  has  the 
force  of  even.  In  my  translation  I  adopted  the  first  interpretation. 
'131  n»n23]  Teharot  i,  4. 

1.  8.    Hullin  122  a. 

1.  9.  ""DV  "i]  The  talmudic  text  in  this  place  has  miiT  T-  But  in  other 
places  where  this  Mishnah  is  quoted,  this  opinion  is  ascribed  to  ''DV  i. 
•pn]  After  this  word  the  printed  text  has  "pil  ^V  ^  t^Xin  "liyi. 
That  our  manuscript  offers  no  genuine  variant  is  evident  from  the  Arabic 
rtsumt,  where  this  point  is  mentioned.  These  words  simply  fell  out  through 
homoioteleuton. 

1.  10.  ilvXn]  A  number  of  words  follow  here  in  the  printed  text. 
But  they  probably  were  omitted  by  the  author  intentionally,  as  they  deal 
with  creeping  things,  a  subject  to  which  Hefes  devoted  a  special  precept. 
See  below,  note  on  fol.  26  b,  1.  12. 

I.  12.  ivlnyD]  Eighth  conjugation  of  J.X-C  =  of  middling  size. 
"131  rVT3]  Teharot  3,  4  5  5,  i. 

1.  13.  XnplB  XEQ]  A  rather  awkward  addition.  But  perhaps  the 
awkwardness  was  not  felt  on  account  of  the  frequent  use  of  this  phrase. 

1.  14.  Sifra  Shemini,  section  4,  6  (p.  51  b).  Tin  p  is  omitted  here 
after  13X. 

1.  15.    Ohalot  i,  7. 

1.  16.    JVT3]    Read  rPT3O. 

1.  18.    pD'  JX]    Read  ...  IK. 


ARABIC    TEXT  197 

mjn  m  'ipi?  nyND  i5  JNCT  <a  !>IN!?N  tanta  ^N  yanna  nnNB 
—  pB>m  pnm  *yum  3irn  i>3N  D^T  PKDUDI  n^r6  PNOBD  non 
I  Dn?3»  PNOBO  psi  pr6  PNCBB  y-ir  rassn  n$>3ani 
noai  D^a»  PNDDDI  rr^  pxctso  vnti'  m»3^  nnnh 
DIM  ^N^ca  p  pycB'  pn  Ni-Ni  ny^  nya  o 
rinp>  'ji  '^330  x^i:n  bi  'ipi    *nyi»  nyo 
HDDNI  Dpim  IN  tsrbDrb  NI^NDD  jsa  NID  3in  p  nx^y  NDI  nmta  25 

KCDO  N^WHK'  I»^D  K^N  'm  /Ni 


26  a 


sruo  mnNDN  nxcsy  pyn  N.TS  f«3  ;si  n 
'ipi  'ai  ncron  W  asnabx  'ipb  now^M  D^n  < 

mp^K    NHJO  NH33K  "^y  nND^ND^N  HNiW^M  *ln»  VB3 

hn  b  ejipn  nr  vaa  ^y  i^n  bz  'ipi>  KD^N  nbi  PN^K  psjyi  D-iy  psi 

*a  m^    "Q-'on  nbi  mtpn  ^nw  pwon  mi»m  nsipn  ns  «»3n^  5 

'ip3  1^1  tan  TIN  «»3n^  n»nn  5>33  'ipi>  N^N  ^ai>K  nr.n  ba  nhp  '•D 

Not:11  nn3  yawn  b  'ipb  n»aw  n^Ni  DN:bx  >^x  N»D^  nn3  yaian  ^31 

mn  nnni  iTJs  IN  n^«  ^y  ^ica^M  mn  n3N3  ^nm  *D^3  r^  m«  p3 

l^n^  Djj11  i^a  3nB>oi  taso  IN  n^x  IN  -ON  ^N^N  H^N^NI  •OXIN^N 

N^5   pKODO   p^N  pNDtDD   Dil  Dn|j  'ipb   n^3^N  p  ^JN^N  N^N  NHJD   10 


1.  19.  Niddah  54  b. 

1   22.  ITiB']    This  is  a  superior  reading  to  jntJ>  of  the  printed  text. 

1.23.  Ibid.,  563.     The  first  DnX^a  is  omitted  in  the  printed  text. 

1.  25.  SOE^NilD]    Direct,  nothing  intervening. 

\.  26.     '121  iota]     Si/m,  »Wrf.,  4,  8  (p.  51  c). 
domestic. 

Fol.  26  a,  I.  2.    Leviticus  u.  26. 

1.  4.    S«/hj  Shetnini,  chap.  6,  5  (p.  51  d). 

1.  5.    D^Cn]    The  printed  edition  has  D\~l.     See,  however,  Kelim  17,  13. 

1.  6.    Sffra,  ibid. 

].  10.    /Aj'rf.,  6,  10  (p.  523).     Read  D3P  instead  of  DH?. 


198         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 
it 

toonp  "fyj?  Kmjrih  TI^N  ^ni^xi  ntp»a  n^3  N^I  DSP^D  N^I 

»pa  UT  N^  *]bn  nmi>»  anyn  ny  KCDI  'ipi  :  snhob  Nmxnpaa 
•nyao  phni>  nino  ima  NH  'ip$>  n>cNV^N  ITON^K  p  Nfvra  N^  DNnpN^N  p 


NH3D   JKTTJ^   HOJ  N^N   DIM  ND  nDJ3N  MI    15 

M  jo  mia  Kinty  yao  D*on  3^30  pn  mno 


'ai  03!?  D'NDon  nJjM  'ai  mam  npjxm  'ai  't^n  NDDH  D3^  nn  'pa 
^nbs  KytnaK  snjo  -ona  nsy  o:a  3i3 
»  oaa^a  K^VDJO  }«3  "n»  fMat^M  mn 

NEQ  nony 


p  bvaJN  ih  ^a  wo  nnai>«  y^o:3  oaa^a  n6yi  pnyi  nn^  p  25 


,      ,        *  >  >  •  ~ 

I.  n.     ?niD?N1]     J^i-«>   plural  of  JLi.*,    example,    description.      The 
orthography  is  rather  exceptional.     Comp.  }NVD,  fol.  i  b,  1.  6. 
1.  13.    /&«£,  8,  9  (p.  53  c).     See  Yebamot  74  b. 
1.  16.  '131  ^3]    Kelim  17,  13.     EnSTl  p  miB]    The  printed  edition  has 

rwyh  mn. 

1.  17.  pOK>N]  Read  I'NnB'K.  This  is  the  broken  plural  of  the  Hebrew 
word  p"1B>  which  does  not  occur  in  general  Arabic.  But  as  f'K3E?K  can 
only  mean  bodies,  persons,  the  reading  J^NIB'N  is  the  only  one  possible  here. 
This  is  how  D^lty  is  rendered  in  Sa'adya's  translation.  The  singular  ,*o£i 
occurs  in  Abu'l-Fath's  Samaritan  Annals  (p.  82,  1.  6).  See  also  Dozy. 

1.  19.  DD?N1]  Read  DXDPK1  as  in  Sa'adya's  translation.  See  also 
below,  fol.  26  b,  1.  ii. 

1.  20.  "133N^N]  See  above,  note  on  fol.  25  a,  1.  20.  '131  nil]  Lev. 
ii.  29-31. 

1.  23.    tb]    To  be  deleted. 

1.  24.    Hagigah  ii  a. 


ARABIC    TEXT  199 

26  b 


no  tftffyn  rb  jw  »nn  p  13N  PJK  D'ai^n  Dr6  PNB>  PIIVD  no  curoa 
mown  B'Ta  itsa  imaa  Tin  p  lax  SJK  mexjn  cnvi  ica  ppn 
nins  non  p  rvrao  nina  I^SN  my^  Dr6  PNB>  Dna«  if'xpi 

PKDDD  p^n  p  n^nyao  ninsi  n^ajn  p  nnao  5 
NOD»B>  Noon  D3^  nn  nme>  ^a  i^Npa  nD 
a  Nn  N!J  on  ^  nynsy  *a  MD^M  spax 


miJO/N  KH3D  DNDy^N  NCNS    '  fl^N   N5^    N 


p  «    niovyn  p  «>  Dnn:^  ip>  ojj11  x 

^ni^N  p  ni'ai'Ni    Ain^  lyt^n  p  N^  o^iaxn  p  t6i  o^twi  w 
namo  n^a  naxa  *no  oaana  j^-iax  DND^NI  xmn^xi  n»K6yi»w 
pnnw  I^NI  njB^^x  hpi'  Nnnna  o:jn  x»a  namo 
m^na  rwo^n  DW  mm11  n  ooinni  nNo!?m  nani  npasn 
ma  p  pnv  i  rnxn  -nyD  pn  jmnD  mia*y  na  jna  ^int^  IN 

o^Koon  pan  wn  ^Npa  "no^Ki    *nmy  ]rb  w  D^IB>  nao»  15 
na  '•nha  i»y  n^«  'na  »ai  n^N  oii»  obn  ota  ina»  pe>aa 
an  pmr  n  na  ^xiDty  n  CN  nej^ann  ^n"ai  pa»yn  p'oan 


Fol.  26  b,  1.  i.  S»/ra  Shemini,  section  6,  3  (p.  52  d).  The  names  of 
the  Tannaim,  as  well  as  the  opinion  of  R.  'Akiba,  are  omitted  here.  See 
Hullin  128  b.  • 

1.  4.    Ohalot  i,  7. 

1.  6.    Ibid.,  5,  2  (p.  52  a).     The  wording  there  is  more  explicit  : 

rwpaa  KDO^  ion  n«. 

1.  9.  76»!/.,  chap.  10,  2  (p.  55  b).  There  it  is  Dnb3a3  which  is  erroneous, 
as  it  refers  to  Lev.  n.  35. 

1.  12.  Hullin  122  a.  The  part  relating  to  animals  is  omitted  here.  See 
above,  note  on  fol.  25  b,  1.  10. 

1.  15.    Ibid.,  122  b. 

1.  16.    T\2  ^31]    These  two  words  are  corrupt.     Read  Kill. 

1.  17.  ^an^l]  The  printed  text  has  3V.JTPS.  31]  After  this  word  the 
printed  text  has  1  Kin  N3n. 


200  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH'S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 


nypi  -no  NCXD  oaan  xba  pxrjE'NbN  mn  nna  ID  noawfein 
ibn  b'bn  ibnb  Djjna  Nnrcnon  bxn  *bn  msya  nyxo  na  -insa  NO  <a 
nvn  mona  nb33  ib  tunan  *D  <a  mn  bap  Tibx  nynpbN  »a  nwian  nps  20 
JK  ibnai  oa*  D^  ijjai  nTaa  n^svnx  yo  NITKTJN  f'ya  on1-  js%2 
oh  oa11  ni>  n^NS  pnnn^  tb  pyaSti  NH^MK  fi-<;i 
p  pycB'  n  ON  'ipi>  ni»cai»«  l^n  p  p-innto  D3> 
pn  p*«  NHI  NCD  no»p  r6e 

P  nycB'  n  rbs  xrxi  inxpoa  xn  fboa  xn  N^P  N^  xnir  n  CN  D^a»  25 

NDD  n»" 


27  a 

tb  vrm  n  CN  tn«n»  nyt^a  msoDn  ?aB>  mino  nmnon 
ip  axnn^  p  ^y-j^N  nss^x  i^a  jxi  jmpca  xn  ji?33  NH 
nn^N  i^a  ^vn»  KB'J  ni^r  n:o  ''pxa^Ni  nbi  nn^  nvya 
naay  7ip^  na  nrr  jo  o:y  H^ND  n"a  nnaJN  IP  na-in^x 
^  p  jranrr  n  CN  uno  nonsai  NCD  nc^aa  yayn  noiK  vsrn  "iB>3  5 
yaian  SJN  rbix  miT  n  naiox  nb  ^non  WK  i^a  ••ja  by 
iba  »aa  by  pn^ne*  Kim  »6  p  ysnn*  n  ON^  NCD  n^an 
tcnao  ;n^N  sb  psbx  ^by  n^sabs  rNJNvnbx  na  TI»  pwn  by  'i 

ynxn  by  6ib  tbbn  naay  IDSW  D^B*  laay  N'ON  UN  7ipb 
D>a  naaa  Nia  nt^a^a  napn  Nia^  ba  pan  ian  ib^pi  D-at?  ns 


I.  18.    ptfatJ'NN]    Read  ^tCUrtM.     See  above,  note  on  fol.  26  a,  1.  17. 

i.  21.   nbximK]   Read  nbxvnN.   xyai]  Read  j-yab^i  or  xnvyai. 

^  Db]    Read  D3"  nb. 

1.  23.    Niddah  56  a. 

1.  25.    jbD3]      Read    }bl33.        The     copyist     mistook     13      for     D. 

n  OK]  /A»rf. 


Fol.  27  a,  1.  5.    Hullin  126  b. 

1.  9.    Si/ra  Shemini,  section  5,  4  (p.  52  b).     See  also  Hullin  126  b. 
1.  10.    Hullin  127  a.     See  also  Tosefta  Kil'ayim  5,  10.    The  wording  is 
slightly  different. 


ARABIC    TEXT  2OI 

jo  aita  c|Kawa  inrob  asm  'pi  mbnn  pn 
pi  Tny  jiaa  as  i?B>  pao  nia-ib  vunsb  asn  'pb  ^UDD/MI 

HNICN  vn  Nna  MNT^N  ^y  aai«  tb*  ana  yawn  b  'pi  NTUCDI 
NOBD  pETi  px  NTN  'm  ^Npi  am  jo  nx^y  NO 
y  ypi  n^Ni  mx  »K  noxn  *njo  J^N  nyneta 

own  |Ki  ^nb  D:3n  JN  snnio  nya  n^s  pxac'^N  mn 
-inDn  nn  naas^K  aiia^x  jxor  ^N  NnnoN^  ^xn  ^y  xpam 
NO  nya  'ai  py  ^a  bo  NOD11  nnoa  one  vb  [>a»  ntyx  bi 
noya  mxy  pan  -nyi  naai  py  ^a  nynB'^N  mn 
nna  na»6o  rwy  "WK  ^a  b  n^xp 
inn  nxn  noxn  o^a  ^snp11  nna  nax^o  n^y> 


no^yi  noon  nsoio  pbpo  '•no^NO  py 


aiD^o  noon  OIK  miiT  n  D^XDO  PII      N      noa  ann  niya 
by  nx  nncn  ben  aipM  oion^o  py  bt^  pbon  DTD  rvtkv  na 
mon^o  nbaba  popo  jaty  NOB  n^aao  arp 


1.  ii.  pn]  Insert  }O  after  this  word.  "IpJpD/N]  For  the  exact 
meaning  of  .yLi_5.->  see  Ibn  Batutah's  Travels,  vol.  Ill,  p.  103,  1.  8.  Comp. 
also  Der  Islam,  IV,  p.  436. 

1.  12.  '131  aim]  Sifra  Shemini,  section  5,  7  (p.  52  b).  See  also  Hullin 
1273.  paO]  Read  pJ^O.  iny  paa]  The  Sifra  has  laian  while  the  Talmud 
agrees  with  our  manuscript  as  regards  the  name  of  the  creeping  thing. 

1.  13.  NTiaODI]  The  usual  texts  have  NT73ObD  which  is  in  accordance 
with  Greek  <raAa/tai  Spa.  But  as  the  same  word  is  in  Arabic  J>-«  -r  or 
Jod,  the  spelling  of  our  manuscript  need  not  necessarily  be  regarded  as 
a  copyist's  error. 

1.  14.    Ibid.,  5,  2.     See  Kelim  i,  i.     The  wording  is  slightly  different. 

1.  16.    pNat^N^N]    Read  pOB^N.     See  note  on  fol.  263,  1.  17. 

1.  17.    "laaXPN]    See  above,  note  on  fol.  25  a,  1.  20. 

1   18.    Lev.  ii.  32. 

1.  23.    Kelim  16,  1-4. 

1.  24.    mm11  i]    The  Mishnah  has  TNO  T. 

1.25.  ap>i]  Readaapi. 


202  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

27  b 

D':a3£  ayp  vb&  *Q  by  *ix  nioian  rvai  prai>n  jva  rp&nn  nx 
aapi  DiDrvB>»  rnnbprn  D'ata?  o^wpn  pt»po  pas?  xota 
D11  jrta?  amb  D*m  w  WB>D  o^nan  prom  D^nan  D'aupn 
naipn  pta  ami>  inx  nn  ntyy-B^  D^TNO  ^  pjai  maai  HDJ 
n^tss  u  n^y^o  pnym  rbv  annb  nn^av  »n»  n^ytm  5 
^M  aap»i  DIDH^^D  hnnn  HNOID  p^apo  1|nt:<'No  my  ^a 
^nipo  wr«  nN  n^y^'n  OIN  mw  ni  vmrrp 
n^niyaa  ns  n^ycTo  ti»N  min»  ni  n»niyx  nx  ropjn 
'  noam  nan  n»mn*p  nx  nBTTtro  DIN  min^  ni  aap»i  DDH^^D 
nina  n  T^I  mani|»'D  OIN  min»  ni  ajpi  nion^o  niy  ^cr  10 
n  nxct3  ^apo  1|no'ix»  py  b  x^x  i^xpi  D"naa 
ny  oana^  n^ny  DXI  DIOKH  by  air^o  ^acm 
K^ao*pi  fiDaD11^  ny  x^npox  ODI^B'  ny 
new  IV  lino  niao  ^  nvj'yb  T'ny  xinry  nonyn  my 
xparv  xo  yop^i  n^naa'  b»y  ^ano11  nao  aapM  DIDH^O  T-oan  15 
•nx^Dn  ej«i>a  pjw^i  n^a  na^a  nbab  mo  rmtt^M  jxavpbx  \o 


Fol.  27  b,  1.  2.    D^t3p]    Read 

1.3.  nnn]  Readonn. 

1.  4.    1H]    Read  in. 

1.  8.    X^aOlp]    Read 

1.  10.  ->1Dnl|t5T3]  Read  DIDn^O.  n  ,  .  .  WlBn^D]  The  mishnic 
text  has  plural  suffixes  which  are  more  correct. 

1.  ir.  '131  py  ^3]  Tosefta  Kelim  baba  mesi'a  6,  i.  2.  Read  my  '•ba. 
There  are  a  few  insignificant  variants. 

1.  is.  Daia?]  Some  texts  have  33"ia?  to  make  a  rim.  The  reading  of 
our  manuscript  is  superior,  and  is  satisfactorily  explained  by  Hefes  in  the 
following  glossary. 

1.  15.  *VDaJ"l]  Maimonides  in  his  commentary  on  this  Mishnah  (ed. 
Derenbourg)  mostly  amplifies  the  brief  explanations  of  Hefes. 

1.  16.  iia^ja]  This  word  is  not  recorded  in  the  lexica.  It  doubtless 
denotes  a  kind  of  a  basket.  JLj  =  hyoscyamus,  or  herbane  ;  isr^  =  vinasse. 
See  Dozy. 


ARABIC    TEXT 


203 


Ni3N 


Dvy 


TKBX  p3ND   Pin  1X33  PjNSp  p3»Dm   PN3DN 

ny  vnirvp  jKaptrn  n*3B>  tainn  '^33  piyn  pin 


win 


noj 
nuo  NT 

p^   N^  KO 


HDN33 


iy  nsoo  -p^po  PN  py 
vn  jn3x!?»  nnaniy» 
j5j>333  uaix^o  DNOD 
Nin  »-jn»  w  ni?  KomnK  pyu 

TODS  13   n^   35 
.li?  13 


28  a 


fN3 


N^  rf?  myN  np  NO 


1.   17.     pin]     Read    pin.       PSND]     »-_»U.  =  «    //»'«    /oc/&,    or 
^-j-9,  plural^iU-»  ,  =  a  lock,  or  tress. 

1.  18.  pin]  Read  pin.  Although  pill  and  nWDX  are  to  some 
extent  synonymous,  it  is  quite  unusual  for  Hefes  to  give  a  Hebrew  equivalent. 
Furthermore,  pin  in  the  preceding  line  seems  to  have  two  Arabic 
equivalents,  and  this  again  is  out  of  harmony  with  the  author's  method. 
It  therefore  seems  best  to  delete  pill  in  this  line  and  to  arrange  the  words 
as  follows:  I^XQV  HITDV  pBND  pill.  My  translation  is  in  accordance 
with  this  arrangement.  fN3p«2>3]  ^jtlju*  is  a  kind  of  sack  for  carrying  grain. 
See  Dozy.  ^iy]  (^  *£•  ,  singular  iij^c  ,  =  handles,  or  loopholes. 

1.  21.  Hefes  explicitly  says  that  the  following  passage  occurs  in  one 
place  ;  but  I  was  unable  to  find  it.  It  may  have  formed  part  of  a  halakic 
Midrash  which  is  no  longer  extant.  The  three  component  parts  of  this 
passage,  however,  are  found  in  three  different  places  :  Tosefta  Kelim  baba 
mesi'a  2,  18  ;  6,  3  ;  Mishnah  Kelim  4,  4. 


Fol.  28  a,  1.  2.    }JQ]    Read  [N3. 
II. 


204         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


NO  -jhi  Nta  im  n^on  po»  NO  Nruoi  <T:C^N  xnn  '-u<  NEI  NO  ;VB  5 
NOI  ynpiw  nnxi'Ni  ns^N  -ie>p  NHJO  na  iay^  INO^N  nnyN 

DJrSJ  ^l!3   JNOT   'B  fONTl  NT  ^1  TIJ   NCO   JN3  NO  NCNB   * 

mnoani  o-nan  jua  nmi  oninx  nnb  sr^  o 
^2  onb  jw  ^^n1  oninx  nn^>  ps  Bnpn  ^a  ' 
»  nj^BD  1131  D^PH  nniai  rpn  mxini  i>n:oi  nani 
HKD  D»W«  ppnno  \rvy  D^W  oni?  ^B>  ^B  by  CJN 
ai  p^apD  pa  o^an  ^a  "isen  nnino  I^N  nn  trau  on« 
nnm  O^N  min11  n  TKD  n  nm  n«cD  p^npo  p^apo  J 
^B  i>y  5|N  PINI  naop  WBD  nm  payn  nanin 
D»ban  ^3  iN^n  jnac'  nea  N^N  hs^D^  D^ic'y  p'N^  D^scta  15 

min-"  -S  nmb  TNO  n  nm  px  pmnt:  p^apo  p^n  PNOD 
noyo  !>K>  6  wne'  lano  o^a  nsryn  i^xpi  n^an  ba  ^  nany 
mppnty  nra^  nyi?ni  jnnsi  nsbn  lino  noyo  ^ 
ponn  nmnu  ns:tNio  ppi»  Du»pnnB>  IN  neyn  nx  cna 
IN  nayn  nN  jna  nio!?  mpirn 


pxao  baeo  ja^o  nnn  NO  myNp  NH:OI  D^NOD  D^TNO 


n  nnnE'  mon  'ip^  pbn^N  yini>  nynoo  in  NOD  'ona  IN 
omno  p^apoi  nippntr  »B  ^y  SIN  o^nn 


I.  8.    Kelim  25,  i. 

i.  9.  ^npn  ^3]  /*«'rf.,  25,  9. 

1.  10.  76/rf.,  15.  i.  There  are  some  variants  besides  one  or  two  scribal 
errors. 

1.  16.  p~l1i"IB  .  .  .  D^NOD]  These  two  words  have  changed  positions  by 
mistake.  The  trend  of  the  argument  proves  that  the  reading  of  the  Mishnah 
is  the  only  one  possible,  and  that  our  manuscript  offers  no  genuine  variant. 
pN]  Insert  pa  after  this  word. 

1.  17.  "131  rifyn]  Tosefta  Kelim  baba  mesi'a  7.  7.  6]  This  letter  is  to 
be  deleted. 

LSI.    ^3E>3]    Read  ^3^3.  1.  22.    Ibid.,  8.  3. 

1.  23.  D^3"in]  After  this  word  the  printed  edition  has  :  pD1B3  D^litD 
tv3"in  finriE'.  These  words  probably  were  omitted  in  this  manuscript 
through  homoioteleuton. 


ARABIC    TEXT  205 


-yp-ip3  xin  '-in  ypipi?  naincn  ^a  i^>xpi  $>iap  DI^O  |na 
n^x  spy  }x  xi>x  nn^x  xc6x  »a  pxa  fxvn  *ta  jo  ^DJT  XD  25 


28  b 


IX   rO3  IX  PX3  XCX  HDXJ:     3pH  VlX  }O 

jxi  oar  nans  xc&x  n^a  »DDD  ;xvn  n^j  JD  nm^D^H  x»xs 
D»cn  n^3D  pn  nino  0*3^  ^3  'ipi>  m*a  n^x  spy 
D'3  ^nan  p  D»^D  rrenyn  X3spy  n  <-m  cna^a  mis 
PDB'  n3n  nn»tw  I^SXT  Din  i^sxi  psa  ^an  ;o  5 


nun 

XEI  |xn:xi  nyxip  xn^o  mx:n  ;»  nxnimoi  np3  ••ns  p 
jH3n  nx  pB^noo  man  nane6  mip  Q^o^  ny3B>  'ip^  mn 
nmiD  miss  m»an  "Js  ^ytj>  na^  wao  man  nx 
}3x  nn  nae£  nnty  xnpa  nch  nxnpj  nn»n  px  n*a  10 


^n  *3  nxou  p^apo  x^n  nenx  ^31  n^ax  ^31  &* 
myn  nayp  XDJI  naxn  nb  aya  p  pao  xmoi  *na 
7ip^  nx3iaD»^x  JD  ^n  n^i  Tiro  oxroi  nia^  am  jo 
nano  ^tr  »ao  ^oa  x^xi  mino  )'y  »5>aa  T»ai»i»  r6  B>»^  n^aun  15 

1.  24.    Baba  batra  65  b. 

Fol.  28  b,  1.  3.  Kelim  17,  13.  Some  variants.  See  above,  note  on 
fol.  26  a,  1.  16. 

1.  6.  131  13,531]  This  clause  is  not  found  in  the  mishnic  text.  See, 
however,  Sifra  Shemini,  section  6,  10  (p.  53  a). 

1.  7-    T13]    Jji-*  =  rfMMg'- 

1.8.    7131  nyat?]    Yoma2a.    See  Parah  3,  i.    fH3H]    Read  |Han. 

1.  13.  nxnva/b]  iilj»lj  things  that  remain  overnight,  and  become  stale. 
The  V  of  this  word  look  like  T.  But  there  can  be  no  doubt  about  the 
reading. 

1.  15.  rv3En]  As  Hefes  treats  of  the  class  of  vessels  which  have 
a  receptacle  and  are  not  subject  to  defilement,  the  reading  of  our  manuscript 


206         HEFES   B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


pnnoo  cam  KOBE  iwfoa  pn  n-na  ^ya 
i>ap»  KO  Nrrta  epix  JSB  T»KD^K  DNoy  p  tt 
omnu  niaiyn  niosyo  n^a  n^yn  'ipi? 
nnnw  i^ax  mn  I^BN  pxa  inan  p  or6  I3»n  N* 

npi  »a  pn  *n^«  xnaoi  NOD  nwoQ  ^ip»  wnty  20 


nan  soa  ^^^  p  oaans  Nn!»  npnKao  N^  na»  m^  myo 
DDtnni  npa  ^  Di^pon  'ip^  Nnnxa^Ni  ^nxao  v\-\<n  napi 


noap  Moa  nmno  IN  nn  naaont  onian        sinoni  i      25 
nnnt?  xoai  trin  ^  ta^Dm  saD  ^oa  nan  noa  -nnt3 


29  a 

nnron  n^ai  hyaon  nui  -iaan  n'-ai  nao  ^  paa^Km  n^  pnepm  nann 
py*a*n  nor  ^  aanon^  niaavo  »hw  ^  Diosm  ni[-nr]a  pni  D^aa  p^ni 


is  the  only  one  which  would  suit  the  context.  And  yet  the  view  it 
expresses  is  diametrically  opposed  to  the  decision  of  the  Mishnah,  not  to 
speak  of  the  fact  that  this  passage  is  nowhere  to  be  found.  Kelim  27,  i  reads 
nNCB  py  ^a  raib  r6  p«K>  r6aD.  The  only  possible  solution  is  that 
Hefes  had  in  mind  the  following  passage  :  nN  H^y  DTlEC?  nai^yn  n^QU 
niHD  tari'  n^  B>v^  '•a  ^y  fjS  niyDn  (.Tosefta  Kelim  baba  mesi'a  10,  4). 
He  omitted  the  qualifying  clause.  '131  "'IDa]  Kelim  12,  3.  n3fTO] 

Read  nanc. 

1.  18.    Tosefta,  ibid.,  7,  5. 
1.  19.    Loc.  cit. 

1.  21.    py?X]    This  can  scarcely  be  right.    Below,  fol.  29  a,  1.  u,  we  have 
py/V-     Read,  perhaps,  py  =  ^j£  dung.     Maimonides  explains  D1p?O  as 

follows:  nopi?x  iDB*1  *b  »a  npa^x  nn  xn^a  t2pni»  ni?a  p  ri^ax 

«  wss^/  in  which  the  dung  of  the  oxen  is  collected  in  order  not  to  spoil  the  wheat. 
This  obviously  supports  my  emendation. 

1.  24.     fp!i'1]     Instead  of  Cp6l.      See  above,    note  on  fol.   17  b,   1.  10. 
Kelim  16,  7.  8.     Read  CIp^DH.       DIDTHni]     Read  DIDTliTI. 


ARABIC    TEXT  207 


noon  maicDi  »a[yn  m]aauai  n 
i>t?  ptro^o  tjTD^n  fcj  *DY»  n  ON  S&an  nr  omno  £'N  nn 

nyt?a  N^K  law  bi  NED  .-ON/D  nyt?a  xtai  &  naw^o  nycra  5 
pnanro  anan  p»ni  ^nian  n-'m  ijinao  pin  mno  nas^o 


N-31DDD  p"n  D^NDD  is  nn  nit^insn  n^ni  n-vnn  n^ni 


*^n  PTI  iinn  HVDI  sna  n^yoina  iania  Nine'  f»n 
^y  «!«  nioian  n»ai  pwSn  nn  ni?sn  ^eni  nvo  wnw  Kirw  »aDD 
nnn  Dityoi  ^an  N^N  W^NB'  iinta  ni^n  i?y  ne'on  12  K»K>  jw*  10 
npa  ^  Dip^on  ^i  JD  ^  ND  TDBH  * 


Nntaop  na^yox  nanN  noap 
»inw  ^  n^xp^  DTOKH  sjN^a  paa^xn  nap  picp  nrn 

^nsa  p"nnn  nca  p»n  n^»  naawai  mo  ^xan  15 
nvcnnan  ^JO^NI  ^KTO^  a^K  n^x  D 


Fol.  293,  1.3.  D^B131]  Read  01301.  "niJ]  The  printed  text  has 
*?ni3  means  weavers,  as  Hefes  explains  it  later  on.  Comp.  Arabic 
Jj^  and  Hebrew  D^Tf. 

1  4.  niNDO]  A  number  of  variants  are  recorded  :  D13N^D,  niDID,  niniDt 
and  niD.  But  niXDIO  is  quoted  nowhere.  We  ought,  perhaps,  to  read 
ni3DD  woof. 

1.6.  pin]  ReadpTl.  Many  words  are  omitted  here.  tPtatjPpMY]  The 
printed  text  has  rklQ  p^n.  But  as  N^llpD  and  tt^atPp  are  usually 
mentioned  together,  the  reading  of  our  manuscript  is  to  be  preferred. 

1.  7.     manaian]     The   mishnic    text    has    mriJBn.     Derenbourg   has 

niTiaan  . 

1.  9.  n^]  From  this  word  to  the  end  of  the  quotation  is  not  found  in 
the  Mishnah  which  enumerates  other  kinds  of  vessels. 

1.  it.    piV?]     Read,  perhaps,  py?S-     See  above,  note  on  fol.  28  b.  1  21. 

1.  13.    na^yO^X]    This  can  scarcely  be  right.    Read,  perhaps,  PO  ' 
as     e«  =  he  kept,  retained. 

1  14.  paaisKn]  Read 


1.  15.    ^K'D]    Read  "15^D  =  "JL£*  a  cloth  from  which  a  tent  is  wade. 
1.  16.    'OXTO??]     This  may,  perhaps,  mean  recitations.     It  seems  to  be 
a  plural  of  i 


208  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH'S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

CD  om  ntan  mao  JTOT.PD  yos  kta&p  3H3D 

»nta  NONB  >JN:P^>N  prj^n  rvn  p" 
CI  nxnan  KD»B  ptro  WHO  nnNi  D^  TI^N 
BHBI  pop  n^n  JD  nowa  i>3p>  sh  13  *6  N?:D  i^T  jo  ysnrv  20 
n  n»:i  n^oci  ruNm  pn3»  nyspi  mpi  ranpi  nrvcDi 
^2Np^N  ax^n^N  jo  BXDC!>N  nni    *«n3K*yx  nan  ^t: 
3  onx^N  nxnNj  nnx  &  NCO  nnnsDO  ^ps  jw  NO 
DIN  nry^N  n  jcp  ^  pi^n  'ipb  Nnpia  NOS 


29  b 

DN  p^n  ncnyn  ^Npi  Sso  nnc:i  nuwa  N.T^  ny  CIN  cam 

,  L      L  L 

nino  IN?  OKI  NCD  n^bt'  by  nv&  n  r» 


y 

NHJD  mw  pa^N  N*yN  ncTSp  mtetapDTM  riNn^N  TND  '2  Q 

c 

p!?i23  pnno3  1^'Ni  'ip^  |N".D3i  ^iNno  mi  oi^pi  fNm  am: 

I.  17.  D13n]  t/^.J  =  a  *M<*ce,  <*  pin-  Sa'adya  translates  nsnt^  (Job 
41.  18)  by  D13n.  That  is  the  reason  why  I  used  that  word  in  my  Hebrew 
translation. 

1.  18.    pN3]    (j\j  =  a  kind  of  flute.     See  Dozy. 

1.  20.    "6]    Read  r6. 

Lai.  nN3Ol]  Is  it,  perhaps,  .^x*  a  turban?  Or  should  we  read  nN3O, 
corresponding  to  mi3O  ? 

1.  23.    HN.nW]    Read  HNHJ. 

1.  24.  NHplQ  NCE]  An  unnecessary  addition.  See  above,  note  on 
fol.  s~,  b,  1.  13.  131  P^H]  Kelim  27,  5. 


Fol.  29  b,  1.  i.  ^31  nsnyn]  Tosefta  Kelim  baba  batra  5,  3.  p^H]  The 
printed  edition  has  nabn  JO  after  this  word. 

1.  2.  nCN3J,?N1]  This  word  was  smudged,  and  the  copyist  wrote  it 
above  the  line.  But  not  being  satisfied,  he  wrote  it  once  more  on  the 
margin. 

1.  4.  JNnl]  Read  fNni  =  ^\J  a  kind  of  legging,  or  boot.  fNnCUl] 
jli^.  =  a  veil.  No  plural  ^  »•»  is  elsewhere  recorded.  '131  IP'JO] 
Kelim  27,  6. 


ARABIC    TEXT  209 

DS  nw  by  rwbvv  n^oci  s-ma  i>t?  D^I  yaiai  0*03301  s<:i?ai  5 
13  sb  "r6s  sosa  :ni>ia3  rmo3  r6ia3  OKI  ntav^a  rmoa  HDICTD 
rnynoota  prs^s  pisss  NTOO  HDSH  rtaspi  sr6 
nsn-iao  xb  nvata  Ha  SHJD  nsnyr^s  SDKS 
nawto  pn  IK  N^N  DH^N  HDNS^N  ^npn  fi?a 
B>  poinpa  ^  ?in  'ip^  NonnNas'Ni  fNiayr  is  ISJJTI  npiro  IN  10 
poinro  bty  nnnx  Ni"Ni  D^NDOO  oani  nnoo  nry^N  n 


nnnvo  jnB>  »3Do  HINCD  powina       mans  no 
fsvni'N  n^3  sn:oi  ^3^  entire  ny  nmnu  D^na 
niy  i^sx  i'ls'1  'ip^  »ba  TOD  Insr  l«  ^y  bw  nm  TID  SD^N  »a  15 
my  «w  nna  nas^io  n^y^  n^s  oib  rb^n  yo-^oa  nainn  nijn  w 
ND  nvron  niy  xip  ^yoi  n3s!?D  jna  nc>yj  xh?  nainn  mjn  nxon 
—  nainn  iiyi  n3JOiin<  ny«K  ^s  i>3n«  K^I  n/D^  ni?  nibi'N  p  fsa 
nniy  nrh?  nSyn  SDiw  'ON  13  n«n  n  DS  'ip!>  cspa  ni^DD^Na 
nain  pay  «^  n^op  sS  n^o  S^T  nro  snnani  nain  nxo  p  20 
D  n-nn  i?y3  ^  nniy  i^xpi  pay  s^i  n*Dp  «h  n^on 
a  sn^no  ^a  nxiap  i  snnnsoD  npia  NTOOI    •'•fnNDBD 
is  sn^y  pjpi^  nyn  is  rroi  »TDD»  p  snsm  snpia 


,  ,  0 

1.  7.    plS2S]     jj)*?'  or  u\>="  a  '«W'i  or  fc"^  has  ijy».l  and  ^j**.  for 
its  usual  plurals.     But  ^j^-1  is  not  precluded. 

.10.  i3i  ep]  ibi(t.,'i$,  a.   poinp3]  Readpomna. 
.  n.  131  nnrw]  /*«'rf. 

.  12.    131  ^J3D]    Tosefta  Kelim  baba  mesi'a  5,  4. 

.  15.    Sjfra  Tazria',  chapter  13,  10  (p.  68  c).     A  few  slight  variants. 

.  16.    '131  IK'S]    The  printed  text  quotes  liy  rON^O  (Lev.  13.  48). 

19.  Shabbat  79  a,  Gittin  22  a.  A  few  explanatory  clauses  which 
interrupt  R.  Hiyya's  statement  are  omitted  here.  There  are  one  or  two 
other  insignificant  variants. 

1.  21.    '131  Hilly]    Kelim  26,  8. 


210  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 


30  a 

my»  NnbnE  ^  nrcwp  a  jn  IN  INOX  IN  omo 


nypn  is  ibn  bno  byab  HPD  tbsnn*  mnsao  nona 


IN  napNon  IN  rvo  JD  mn  wv  Nnpis  NCS  Nnbnro  '3 
ix  Nnpia  NEB  NnbnD  ^s  rwsap  n  nnnxDD  IN  xna  ypn^  r 
IN  Nnpis  NDD  Nnbno  »a  nNinp  n  nnnNDD 
IN  n^y  ob"1  IN  1^1  w  Nnpis  NDS  Nn^n»  »a 

;o  "jh  ^Ji  nj?^  win  IN  IVB  f]pNDn  IN  NH^D^  jo 
nsap  sman  mpo^N  JN^N^N  mn  \o  nax  »noi  noaao 


INI  nn  ma  D^  niap  fn  IN  n^y  rf>a^  nyNi  Nnpa 


r\uhw  ^y  HK-*^  DV^O  NODD  naan  ^\\b  HDNaa 
myn  nyans  ^y  nyniN  pm  non  n»D^  tr^  ^y  B^I^ 
»ntD  xeoh  omob  pi^  nK-'cr  by  ntw  J»BD  nt^cn  by  n 
by  n^^»  mns  PN  aaB'cb  nan  ntryi  D^ao  y^ip 
tNinc'  ba  noyobi  N^NI  Nin{y  ba  nrrnNbi  nso  a 
yspon  jam  PBIDVD  VDcni  niyn  myni  ptt'n  ptyni  naan  15 
n  DN  nn  '•Nob  nsu  by  HSD  NCD  nso  by  risa  jbao 
n  »33  by  n"bt:nb  ••ixii  b^Nin  '•N:*  -i 


Fol.  30  a,  I  i.    nNOV]    Read  nNCtt  =  SU-»  a  bandage. 

1.  3.    yaNVN]    This  word  was  intended  by  the  copyist  to  be  deleted. 

1.  4.  nnnNDft]  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  some  such  word  as  *lc« 
ci'sack  is  to  be  supplied  before  this  word.  See  the  following  quotation  from 
the  Mishnah. 

1.  10.    Kelim  27,  2. 

1.  13.  Me'ilah  18  a.  Our  manuscript  is  more  explicit  than  the  mishnic 
text. 

1.  14.  nnHNbl]  Read  nmNbl.  "iai  nDy^bl]  I  was  unable  to  trace 
this  sentence  in  this  connexion. 

1.  15.  Sukkah  17  b.  Some  sentences  are  omitted  here,  and  it  seems  that 
Hefes  had  a  less  complicated  reading. 

1.  17.    riai  pN]    Tosefta  Kelim  baba  mesi'a  a,  5. 


ARABIC    TEXT  211 

T->-r6  IKBW  -iiy  NXW  -pxn  nN  c^u^n  N!>\X 
"pna  nwttMB*  t?ta  hy  vhv  NifNi  NED  tnnB>  i>3  ^--QN 
nniD3  ninn  nns  nw»  yawcn  jo  rvan  i?3B>  HNCD  n>3n  20 
npipa  nirnp  IN  rn  minn  uno  IN  rra  inx  pnj»D  IN 
jrj^ty  ly  N^N  HNDG  rwN  D^iyh  mino  nspn  IN 
ns  i^NK'  n^DD3  intao  nnsro  "i  rrn  N3N  -i  CN 


30  b 

can  mn  ^Npi  n^cna  na  na^ni  nn^-y^  xh  o«3yb  N!?  xnn 
n^i^aDxij  HNBW  nB^B*  ^y  n^!?^  Ni>Ni  iTcr 
^s  ^y  ^x  Dy»ruB>  HB^B*  ^y  na^B*  «i*w  HNCD 
r»6ve  mna  N^n  KJTKI  :nwt:en  ^an  NCU  omon  p 
n  nx  n  n:ph  nmpn  ns  u  iy^i  ymcn  nx  n  p"D^  jTpnriB*  5 


1.  18.    131  liy]    /Wrf.,  baba  batra  4,  9. 

1.  19.  '131  B'/B']  Ibid.,  6,  6.  A  few  phraseological  variants,  besides 
the  scribal  errors. 

1.  20.  nniD3]  This  is  certainly  corrupt.  Some  editions  read  nD1D32  IN, 
while  Z.  has  nmD3  IN.  It  is  the  latter  which  our  manuscript  presupposes. 

1.  21.  |"Vn3'B]  Z.  has  pH31S3.  The  construction  of  our  manuscript  is 
decidedly  superior,  as  the  3  is  almost  impossible.  JV3]  Read  !13. 


1.  22.  nyWB']  The  printed  text  has  n3y^3^B'  !  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  our  manuscript  has  preserved  the  correct  reading,  since  the 
Tosefta  speaks  of  y31?1D. 

1.  23.  Niddah  60  b.  In  the  printed  text  «3N,  not  N3N  "i  (is  it  N3NT?), 
is  the  authority.  There  are  a  few  more  insignificant  variants. 

Fol.  30  b,  I.  I.  n2,TVl]  The  printed  text  gives  the  name  of  the  authority 
responsible  for  this  decision.  It  is  possible  that  Hefes  did  not  intend  the 
last  three  words  to  be  part  of  the  quotation.  But  when  he  himself  decides 
he  usually  says  H3^n^N1  .  Comp.  below,  fol.  32  a,  1.  18.  '131  Din  J  Ibid. 

1.  2.    '131  nB^>£>]    Tosefta  Kelim  baba  batra  6,  9. 

1.  3.    '131  nB^B>]    Kelim  27,  8. 

1.  4.  '131  J03J1]  Shabbat  29  a.  There  are  a  number  of  variants  besides 
the  scribal  errors.  Read  f3D,  as  it  occurs  in  Kelim  a8.  a, 


212  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

pai  pio  pa  bix  jKTiiT-  n  -nrbK  n  nan  NCD  pio  pxt?  pai  pio  pa 
xbiy  ox  nino  pio  iyxt?  xou  pio  cix  xa'py  n  iinu  pic  pxt? 
ban  nan  noaipa  nrwn  xoby  »bian  pnv  n  ON  nan  na  na  nan  ON 
N^X  ip$>ru  K^  nboa  ^102  ban  nm  ns^xh  npn  m^y 
ipir  N^no  nao  nry^N  ^i  n^n  n*.nN  in^n  IN  naaa 
iabbKi  :-iry^N  -in  n»a:b  xa^py  n  n*a  mn  ^Npi  n^iN^y 
nsa  oib  obn  onabn  nN  nmb  p^oi  '-pb  ain^N  nana 
-~ixnpj:a  y»  xn-'D  py  »no  aaxno  yibpi  ~i\snD  xir-x 


nxou  xoab  ^ixnn  ba  'ipb  nspxon  ix  n^o  JD  wnn  ix  nxirpxa 
ybp  p:a  o^ja  xcuo  o-no  nxou  XCDO  WKI?  'a  by  «IK  no  15 
jxa  fxa  D»ba::i  onso  nnaooi  naa:?  h?  o^an  pb^ii  PU»BD  bt? 
jo  nbvia  mn  Dons  KVPNJ  HTJ  ix  ainbx  may  ow  ^nbx  "ixnpobx 

HDN33   JO  HDX3J   bpHN   "IHW    fO   nb^lbx  HJXa   JXD  IDrbs   DiJ11   "1H13 

IK  xonb  niny  xnx  na  brciobxi  bvibx  ibnb  oars  na  bmsbn 
jo  NDai*  jbs  noxaibx  fj^aa  inia  jo  naxa  ;NI  jnoxaa  xomnxb  20 
'ipb  noxa:  bpnx  m»a  }o  bsibK  ;xa  *no  n:o  xoaa11  nbx  ^bx 
nyaix  niyn  jo  inxi  psrn  p  nc'bK'  p^n  p  nnxi  laan  p  OTB^ 
niyn  jo  nnxi  paon  p  nt^yn  "wio  peon  jo  nnxi  niyn  p 
naan  «H«»  p  nnxi  pswi  p  nB'btr  pt^n  p  nnxi  myn  p  nyaix 


1.9.    np-n]    Readnpnt.      nBB'x]    Delete  the  1. 

1.  10.    ^333]    The  printed  text  has  "moa. 

1.  ii.  '131  Tin]  Ibid.,  29  b.  The  reading  there  is  Xa'pV  '1  .T3  Tin 
7T1  .Taab.  See  also  ibid.,  40  a. 

1.  12.  S«/ra  Shemini,  section  6,  8  (p.  53  a),  where  IX  is  inserted  before 
iaa.  That  seems  to  be  the  correct  reading,  as  IX  is  the  basis  for  the 
derivation. 

1.  14.    Nega'im  n,  n.     A  few  phraseological  variants. 

1.  16.    D'baaai]    The  printed  text  has 

I.  21.    Kelim  27,  3. 

i.  23.  ntryn]  Read  nrcn. 


ARABIC    TEXT  213 


31  a 


:ninu  uoo    pn  p  xoua  laoo  -nann  p  i    na»nt?  o     an  nr  x»u 

»m  rh  nrta  nob  rtan  nsx  0^3  xnao  tayi  nipai  no::  JXB 
nanp  -jin  !>xnD  ^n  xnnoxaa  ^xn  ^y  Ni"N  MB  ^IN^K  iss2^N  ^Nn  ^y 

Nnao  wv  IK  NOXS  nrreo  KHJD  i»»yB 


13  ncn  WB^B'  tanm  ^onn  nxjj'yK'  ncn  nino  nan 
nnsuDi  nns^D  nNtyy^  non  13  ix^y^  pnoi  pno 
nnx  n^b  NOD  iDtrb  in^tyB'  ^3  ^3n  nr  x»n  nD3 
D^an  ^3  ivp^xi  rawjtata  nxcD^x  awi  "a  'nun  i'Npi  mn 

TO  phy  p«i  nas^noa  fnxno  H^  pnnv  10 
natrno  n^ni  n^yo  n^o  boao  n^yDm  ntryo 
mn  u'-oa     j 


jx  in  rar& 

n^y  M  xoy  xm^ana  x^x  ^x"^3  jn  xon»  noxa^x  osn 
D3n  DpD'  ^naN  nxin  ^x  xn^y  »n  *n^«  wn&M  p  x^pji  15 
NO  "^x  xn^pja  nony^xi  x^x  xnn  rwnj^o  nx\-i^x  ^n 
xh  D^3  M  Ncno  noxa^x  xn:y  Dpo*1  xi?  ^aa  D^ 
^  PT»V  D'ban  ^3  nh  "jyo  'unnonpn 

fx  nsivao  o^a  nnxv  cry  ^no  in 
xnniiv  p  xnw  cb  jxi  nax  *#&ta  xn^pr  ix  0^3  20 


Fol.  31  a.    1.  i.    XCDJ]    The  mishnic  text  has  XCD. 

.2.    mpai]    ReadnVpJl. 

.  3-    JX'a^X]     Read  fX^^X  =  ^(  state,  condition. 

•  4-  nvpa]  Readnvpj. 

.5-    yttJa]    Readyoa3.      ncn]    Readn^n.     Kelim28,  5. 

.  7.    noil     Read  HD3. 

.  9.    '131  ?3]    /A/'rf.,  25,  9.     Slight  variants. 

1.  15.  nxin]  Read  nxvi. 

1.  20.    ^yD^X]    Delete  the  X  as  dittography. 


214  HEFES    B.   YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 


ND  NfUO  N3T  "HO  1          D33D3  rvy  *n 

-irnn  n^a  Nnjra»$>  xny:r  y:xv  a^afo  anxv  jxa  INS 
nmy  'ipb  lin  }o  nya  ^y  Dixy  in  XD^Q 

31  b 

px  pay  btn  inxoBo  naenD  nnn  bya  b& 
natrno  3:3  ^  IHNCUO  nae^no 

':QD  tnscDO  nac'no  ps  }^T3  tai 
my  rpt3^  i^y  acriB'  iiy  omo  nixcn  nmy  i^ 
Nann  ">iy  jn^n  niy  nonn  ny  mon  my  tc^aop  a^  my 

my  DTTO  noan  myi  nan  my  jup  ^  a^n  my  no-iyn  my 
i^xpi  no  sen  OIN  cam  DTJD  DIN  inr^M  n       pmon  myi 
nona  Nvn  N^  no  CK  ^a  '•i'N  •ta  p  nMnao^M  |»  ^pnr  NO'S 
xh  mwsac'  onina  xh  nniDuat?  3ira  xS  mxiva^  3iT3  xi> 
ncnan  3in  nxciD  |^9ptt  px  rm  nn  nnioaat?  onina  10 
^i  ^  mno  n^T  ^cn  NCD  ncna  5>ef  an  x':nm  nsoo 
nam  n!?ia  ijnpe'  "a  by  *IN  nbnb  iND'jn  ncna  ^  NBU  ncnab 

1.  23.    Kelim  26,  8. 

Fol.  31  b.  The  beginning  of  the  first  three  lines  in  the  manuscript  has 
traces  of  some  writing  which  was  obliterated  ;  but  the  continuity  of  the  text 
is  not  disturbed  thereby. 

1.  3.  ^3DO]  The  opinion  of  Rabbi  Simeon  fell  out  through  homoio- 
teleuton. 

1.  4.    Kelim  26,  5. 

1.  5.  ICnn  mj?]  These  two  words  are  missing  in  the  printed  edition, 
where  they  fell  out  through  a.  sort  of  homoioteleuton.  Maimonides  com- 
ments upon  mcnn  my  and  IDrin  my  separately.  But  in  the  mishnic  text 
printed  above  the  commentary  the  latter  words  are  missing.  The  discrepancy 
escaped  Derenbourg.  fP3n]  Insert  t]H3n  my  after  this  word. 

1.6.    pIDn]    Readpnon. 

1.  7.  pmon]  After  this  word,  too,  there  are  traces  of  obliterated 
writing. 

1.8.  Shabbat  583.  The  first  sentence  is  differently  arranged  in  the 
printed  text.  There  are  also  a  few  phraseological  variants. 


ARABIC    TEXT  215 

pxi  rnpron  inxoD  n^  p-nv  n^an  ^DB>  NCO 


•»  riD&wj    apn  «h  xrb  la  K^>  Tita  Kcxa  jSa^jj  rri>  ivin  15 
NIDNB  rrrya  nonai  ran?  non^  man  ^y  »i>3 


mana  nanps  SONB  toara  nT-ya  nona  ma11  ND 
mn  ns  Nm»ji  nNDNnoi  TWO  NWD  D^a^  JD  KHTJ  mans  rmn^tn 

jo  nNyjuvD^N  ^ax^  nwcnanoD^  o^a^o  JNDJX^K  nmxa  20 
nasi>N  mna  fxa  xoa  Nm»ai  anxaoi  nNDWi  nHNiai  yxxpa 
paa  m«n  n«  JWB'b  ''isryn  'ip$>  Knoaa»  NO  xn^  py  >no 
w  mxn  nx  roe^  •ne'un  piina  nmruMi  muoi 


32  a 

H  ha*  yy  ^a  NS»K  I^NPI  D^NOD  -paWim  rhaon  \rbvn 
ha*  IN  yy  ^a  ^a  nh  py  ^a  bo  61^  D^n  muom  nmmm 

1.  14.    «n]    Read  NH. 

1-  19.  J~INDN?DD!]  Only  il^  in  the  sense  required  here,  not  JLtl^,, 
is  recorded  by  Belot.  But  the  latter  is  probably  a  nomen  unitalis. 

\.  20.  nna^bN]  This  is  jjAcl,  plural  of  *lj>c,  not  s;ji1,  plural  of  *ISc, 
as  the  latter  is  restricted  to  food  eaten  in  the  morning,  that  is  to  say,  breakfast. 

1.  21.    yNVpa]     Read  ySVpa.     nSOWl]    Only  *U.  is  recorded  in  the 


lexica.     But  there  may  be  a  nomen  unitatis  JLeU..     aHNaDl]  The  plural  of 

*'°^t  . 

AayXu  is  nowhere  else  given. 

1.  22.  '131  T-i'yn]  Tosefta  Kelim  baba  mesi'a  6,  7.  D^Dn]  The 
printed  text  has  Dv3n  DX  after  this  word.  This  seems  to  be  the  correct 
reading  as  three  classes  are  spoken  of. 

Fol.  32  a,  1.  i.  '131  v3]  Stfra  Shetnini,  section  6,  4  (p.  52  d).  The 
passage  there  is  corrupt,  and  a  comparison  with  the  preceding  citation  from 
the  Tosefta  will  leave  no  doubt  that,  with  the  exception  of  one  scribal  error, 
the  original  reading  is  here  preserved.  See  alsoTosafot  Menahot  96  b  under 
heading  '~Q"v1,  where  this  Baraita  is  quoted,  and  substantially  agrees  with 
our  text. 

1.  2.  J«y  ^3  ^>3B]  Sifra  has  J>y  ^3O,  which  does  not  occur  in  the 
Pentateuch. 


216         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


nan  }>y  »b  b  c^  »^n  'pahnn  nxi  rtaun  nxi  jnten  nx  Nnno 
6$>n  Djro  ainan  nans?  "inx  i^x  nx  x^nnh  i^x  nx  niaii>  n^xn  no 
[^Jctyo  nxi  onxn  nx  c>ee>o  Hint?  nnvo  py  "b  no  py  ^a  ^a  cii>  5 
nx  PBTDPO  p*^  »pai>ni  n^aun  nxi  jn^n  nx  nanx  ^x  SJK  onxn 
nx  K^tw  xin^  ntan  nx  N^CI  onxn  "B'OB'O  nxi  onxn 
jntr  mwoni  nmmm  a^pm  onxn  ^oiro  nx  ww  irxi 
[xnjnnxon  npna  xn:oi       *mxn  nx  p^oiw  jrxi  DIX  *vnw  nx 

j  Nnaci  xnrac>x  xoi  n^ro  ^s  xna  *on  xn^no  »D  nxiap  a  10 
ne^  i>y  n^y  'ipb  nmo  ix  nxcir  ^y  njxa  ^no  xn^no  ^D 
-nnninni  nrnnoo  nna^^n  n^yb  HXDQ  nTinn  mino  naa'x^ 
n^Dii  no:ii?o  n^^sox^  HXEW  E'^  i?y  B'^  xvxi  nnxotao 
ix  x^x  nn^x  ncip-io  ix  nanxo  n:xa  KID  nxn'na  XH:DI  •  mino 
pa  nnaon  ninsuo  "p^  napxon  ix  n'»  jo  i:nn  ix  yw  XiTa  15 

bix  ^n  n'ai  ^XCE*  n'a  nan  nixes  pn^ixo  pttv  pai 
nmno  i^xi  i^x  oix  b«^ca  fan  nixco  niTixo  p»XBn  nmnu 
^oa  ;an  nan  pxn:  6ix  pyc^  -ii  *DV  n  'ip!>  ^ca  jana  nabni>«i 
niaoi  P^JI  Dino  yx-ttD  »naoi  :oni»  ux  vnanai  onsc 


1.  3.    X'i'lO]    Sifra  has  rOlD  which  gives  no  sense. 

1-  5-    KV  ^3  ^3]     Read  pt^  in  both  cases  with  Sifra. 

• 
1.  8.    '131  3/'pni]    This  sentence  is  missing  in  Sifra,  and  only  the  last 

four  words  are  inserted  in  brackets.     It  is  obvious  that  the  error  there  is 
due  to  homoioteleuton. 

1.  10.  von]  Readnn. 

1.  ii.  IKCi]  Read  nXOV.  See  above,  note  on  fol.  30  a,  1.  i. 
'131  HE^P]  Kelim  27,  12.  The  reading  there  is  %fy&  *?]}  vkv.  That  we 
have  no  scribal  error  here,  but  a  genuine  variant,  is  evident  from  the 
preceding  line  where  nsifap  J  =  DTiS!3  HEvE*  is  explicitly  mentioned. 
Maimonides  had  the  same  reading  as  that  of  printed  edition,  for  he  says  : 

r&arcs  ^y  'cn»  jxa  ih  niyavx  tfo  *?y  vbv  xn:o  canav 

1.  13.  '131  E^E*]    Tosefta  Kelim  baba  batra  6,  9. 

1.  14.  nxn"D3]    Read  nX1D3  or  HX'D3. 

1.  15.  Kelim  28,  4.     Slight  variants.  1.  18.    Tosefta,  ibid. 

I.  19.  '131  VOnai]    This  is  also  the  reading  of  the  printed  text.     But 


ARABIC    TEXT  217 


NIK   3J?n»l  lim         3pyKl   3K3K  3py 

jo  pn  sou  mvy  ysa  DB»  i^  t^e>  n^no  ^3  [>3  'ipi 

i^y:t?  nuvni  mipm  Tvm  T»n  nnne'  nniam 
jxa  »ncB  m»ai  jopi  ejw  jo  hoyo  man  Dipn  ND  TNDI 


Elijah  of  Wilna  suggests  reading  OHIO  13N  Vn3*T31  which  is  preferable  as 
far  as  the  Hebrew  is  concerned,  as  the  other  expression  is  rather  too 
strong. 

1.  ao.    *ljm,5Kl]     jJr°3  a  bolt  of  a  door.     It  is  a  Persian  word.     See 
Dozy.      H331D]    This  word    is   slightly   obliterated,   but  the  restoration, 

4  '?*' 
H331D  =  i-pp»  inserted,  fixed  into,  is  quite  obvious. 

1.  21.    Kelim  ir,  a.     Slight  variants. 
1.  22.    i;jm] 


HEBREW  TRANSLATION 


i  a 


n  na  nnw  IN  mnnern  mi  m  lobyj  nNDiBn  DN  nar 
Ha  nrow  nnryn  naoinb  war,?  IN  nsinrwn  ^a  nan  ny  nans?  I 
nbyji  DIN  jw  n  n^nty  yot2»  n  "nan  nnN)  nnN  ba  by  a'Ti  WN  n 

i  HNDD  oi?yM  ^y  a1"1^  Q»DJ»  w  woo 
".nab  HNOD  ^y  N^N  a"n  WN  DIN  Na'-py  -ii  nry^N  n  5 

BHpD  13DD   D^yj  btt*  IN    HNDt2  WDD  HD^yJ  WOO 

fjy  a«n  W^NI  a«n  NIH  HNOO  nbn  ^y  NOB  Nim  woo 
chyn  ^y  woo  D^yji  p^n  DIN  iry^N  n  Na^py  n  nan 
60  n^y:i  woo  D^yJi  DIN  OB>»  n  B>npo  tbyn  by  a^n  pN  a^n  Nin 
p:o  Nwn"   :noNi  ".cnpo  tbyn  *?yi  HNOO  Q^yn  by  a^nb  D^oya  y»  10 
nbyni  t|iD3  njTTi  nbnna  njr»T  u  i^ty  by  N^N  a^n  WNP 
nan  ON"  inxinn^nn  niNaa  IOIN  *nobnm  ",nby:i  oib  obn 
NHI  ixrvy  Nbn  a:  by  SJN  DWQ  ^sba  mnvtm  baN  pn  ^aba 
NNT  IT^NI  •TMB'  na  PNB*  nNinn^n  NM  ir«  DNP  »an  wnNp 
n^bm  D^T  oi^a  n«ntr  na  ^tr  nyna  n^n^  na  pNt^  n\n^  na  B*SJ>  15 

n  WOT  n^yn  nm  ^cna  na  pns»  i  na  ^ba  n«n^  myB'  noai 
worn  na  pnv  n  "ooi  rro^jn  nm  va  }a  pyoB>  n  nb  noNi  *ra  p  pyoe> 
pioan  n«a  ON  im  nb'Ni  nynao  DN  nn  ^oro  na  pyoty  n  nb  now 
.D'bo  a^a  nrn  pioaai    ",ii  xn  mna  n^Nn  bNne^  bai  iba 

H  219  R 


220  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH'S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

my  an  HN  p'hon 


nop  IN  B*na  rt»w  Dnnp 
",ai  VDI  C>N  Nvn  •'a"  :aina&'  103  ,pran  ^on  cbvb  yn  nntja  Nvoan  nnN  nan  IN 

nao  DN  ^>3N  .pran  •'Ditana  DW  nantri  nniN  N'aoni  nny3n  riN 
B>N  N^n  '•a"  jnoNt?  toa  /lisa  N^aon  ynnN  nan  N^  ,nnn  na^a  nmn 

i  b 

ainan  nne  yan  JIN  n^yaon  cbw  D^  novyo  NVH  ^a  ai  vip 
noiB'  tnn  Ta  nnyan  HN  n^n"  :niyi  ",iaia  '•pras  D^DI  laioo 

3^  npan  npa  Ta  n^K»  D'Dtr  '•ana  a^m  onN  ••ano  nioa  \i 
N3  a«n  niNn  nN  s»aon  niN.n  HN  n»ao  nnNi  D^'yn  HN  N-'ao 
P^nn^  pianom    ".pnioa  o^a  mnn  ina^  a^n  ns^on  nah  nns%  5 
p3  ohy^  nyio  onN"  tnoNB*  loa  /o*oi^B>na  DMB»  piano  ia*Nc>i 
D^an  HN  n3B>i  nan  py  DN  NDD  \w  pai  ny  p3  nvo  p3i  aaw 
DNI  ".pianoa  piano  p«B»  niB'yb"  :niyi  ".ota  pra  D^mo 
ann  n\n^  IN  /IIDN  nao^  D.no  nnN  ^a  ann^  nbbv  IN  nna  B>NPI  nnay 
pran  '•on  D^  3^n  irN  Xn3n  nrN  ni?aNi  n^yoi  noN  nn^y  B^  D^nn  mn  10 
nm  niyc'n  ;o  DTnna  D^ann  mni  n'bbvn  IN  nnan  iTn  DN  i?3N  .inbir  IN 
p3nn  jntr  n»V^V  IN  nna  nn3y"  :noNE)  ioa  ypran  'on  D^c6  3"n 
IN  D^ann  "jm  IN  HIDN  yanN  niaa  Hint?  nna  nnay"  :niyi  "/ 
'  DNn  N\n  nry^x  n  Nan  DN  Nan  JND  o^ann  mn"  :noNi  ".' 
IN  NHn  noonnai  miens  nnya  p^nnt^  ••oi  ".D^ann  mn  not? 
n\n  DN  niNn^  o»anx  xnan  *?&  im^n  nantn  nprnna  IN 


a  naia  naa  .Tn  *    DN  ?aN  ;p»n 
/inx  ian  IN  /aor  nn  nn^n  P«ne6  nonian  naoni  ^ 
n  nphn  nayn  noa  i^  T,na  P"H»n  "  :  new?  ica  ^IBB  P^non  20 
«w  DIN  nry^N  n  ma  iva  yv^Na  NM  i^Na  nniN  pun  DIN  nnry  p 
D!?^  DIN  pyctr  "i  nDN  D^Dn  DIN  na^py  "i  D^ain  mT  nDN  mtry 
ON  maw  ia  nan  DN  fDna  an  ON"    ".np^in  ^  i?an  n  N  aon 


HEBREW    TRANSLATION 


221 


2  a 

OK  min»  an  6s  ejov  an  ON  npin  *?&  nnaia  ^  tan  an 
pfrm  nnyan  iniN  nayne>  niypn  nana  nn»iN  Nnaoinni  ".jiyop  na 
n  nphn  nayn  n»a  ita  Tina  p»Snon  "  :  nan  nrx  n^Ni  /QBUD  nnn  nnvreo 
B»B£B>  nnn  nyt?a  D'ann  inn  HDK  nn^y  t^  DIK  nry^K 
DIK  na^py  -i  HDK  n^Dn  nnn  nyt^a  HOK  D11^^  DIN  rrnn*  n  noK  5 
anya  nt^yo  noK  nixo  vfo&  nnn  ny^a  HIOK  D^tJ^sn 
nphn  n-iaya>  n^yo  yiv  pv.Ti  n»N  niKO  ^sw  "in11 
naoaoo  nn"n  DN  ^ax  nxsps?  fon  oniOK  onm  noa  nt^p 
nj  may  a^n  m  nn  ^D  ny  I^SN  ni?  Q^IXO  D^vy  vn^  IK 

nbx  OKI  ".niL2a  niBK  nao^  pan",  jnty  n^i^  IK  ma  IN  10 
nai  IN  .D^msa  n^aa  IN  nsl|nj  IN  nynr  ^  D^n^a 
.  oi?3  -"DT  o^i>  p^nnn  a-'n  /DB>  irtsrb 
WK  ynty  in^n^  iam  PKB>  nan  nw 
no  ^a  '•on  DJ  D^  a^n  nnn  n-a  ni>aN  DN\ 
OIK  nnin^  n  o^a  ia  vm  i^nan  nN  pinon"  15 
tr  t^n:  IN  D^n  *?&  s^na  N^N  D^D  pN  DIN 
?  T°D  s^i  b  niaa  nay  a«n  i»y  v\*wy\ 
naina^  no  b  D^D^  nn^an  nN  p^nna  nnin^  ni> 
ina^  no  ^>a  Q^B«  nan  nnw*  n"  :n»Ni  ".D'-naa 
.npa  $21  pan^»  inrN  noi  K^  rb  p'iKn  put?  i^N  ni?  p^iNnn  a^a  nao  20 
nan  b  (IN  anai?  DitwD)  nn^n  IN  vnan  pjjn 
T  D  W  a>n  p^nem  ;  oni>  nonm  paan 
nnns  ^i  Q^aN  ^  i^ano  pi  nnip 


ON 


ina  /aina 
rbani  lainaty  n»  !?a 
i!?  niaa  >n:  n\n 


nnN 


paa  nntra 


nio  pi  "  :  noKB> 
nopn  IN  KJB> 


2b 


n  nwon  naD^i  ".nayn  nN  nan^  i^aN  mjpn  IN  yot^a 
pNa  pni  ;  jna  ncnaD  wo^mh  nN  niaai?  nainn  y 

R 


222  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH'S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

,i?aaa  iniN  pau  pM  mea  DINI  onto  DIN  "  :  Nan  IBNP  i»3  /foaa  N^> 
pro  pun  'Ta  nn^>y  DNI  .irea  print?  DINI  D1N3  print?  DIN 
nr  ^>y  pyot?  piNnni  Jxrw*  pN3  D»a«n  tntthmn  pyot?D  B>sni  5 


.n11:^  p'pao  xV  t^sn  INI  ^233 

&  ON  M3NTT  .T»p^  NnN  NpUH  NT1 

mix  poptp  b  tbxi  sin  xan  NHI  *an  Nan  p*«n  »aM  Niaya  n^  10 
".tran  pry  mpNn  Nan  »JNB>  N^N^  >C3  -on  pn  ^aaa  iniN  paw  PN 
HN  niv^^  pyct?  HN  oav^n  nna»  ypyoB>  i»y  [PINI]  pwnn  DNI 
a  pnN^  pna  my^i  »^rw«  piNa  aivp  Nint^  i»a  aivp  WN  nra 
DNI  .Ninn  }ora  pin  ^ya  H*  natrn  '•s^  yDipnn  ^jNatr  oyoNjn  nnya 
PINTI  vi>y  ^ap  pyot!'  ON  ^aN  .iniN  DHJD  pin  nN  p^y  ^ap!?  pyn^  JN»  15 
pyDB>  nN  jran^  jaiNn  trpa  DNI  .pyoB>  naita^  n^Tyo  /ipann^  nsn  U»K 
icy  na^i?  pyc^  JND  DNI  .£  o»yDW  DB»  icy  taa^ 
N^  INI  n^  pyonD  IB>»  piN^  nna  w»i^  nyctN  DM 
jna  i  M^ni  jn:  ni»  n^nn  n^fe^  n^  p^noro  na  pai  na  pai  rri> 

yiyn  D^D  Toy^i  in»a  iina  yn  ai?a  DIN  ina*  N^tr  pjo  rbix  20 


nrn  }»ra  jni^yi'  rain  PMB>  nivo  mts'y  nnN  5>i>ia  Tain 


3a 

N!>  niVD  »ntn  •iB'y  ni^o  yen  jno  .n|?  nsina  N^ 
ma  m^  ynu  N^  nw  DN       .^Dtt  HWNT1 

nN  i>aN^>  IIDMI  mt^n  nN  !?PD^  D'-a^n  7Ninn  t^Nn  noi  ^N 
nw  ra»  »ai"  jainair  i»a  ^D  »p^ 
S  /in»M  mma  mw  na'yai  ns»aii  5 


HEBREW    TRANSLATION  223 

OIK  TKD  n  pnn  niea  pnn  noen  "pie>  oua  niaa  pnn  a"n  pnn 
n  nrpaa  by  D^  pra  nb^o  bin  byi  fpn  by  DIK  6am  nb^  p»  nbcj>» 
cbvn  nni  obt?  pra  nbB>»  njno  noiya  byi  rreian  byi  naiao  bin  na^aa 
NB>  pai  epab  pTw  pa  mcnano  nns  ba  ns  bpoi?  D»an»  ",p»  »xn 
niB>n  n^y»a  on«3  i^y^a  .maiyn  y»oa  pnn  pi  , 
iy^  n^m  nona  n«^  nwyb"  moNB>  ma  7nr 
pnn  rmyy  mip  /niu'Hpn  w  nrn  iwn  nx  oan  nao 
nao  pnn  noy  N!?^  ny  rviont?  nn  m^ "  :  noNt?  ioa  ^IDN  p  nn«  bas 
nnin  ^yn  innp  w  naw  no  njnoa  unai  IDH^  enpiD  i^npni 
pna  noya'ci  w  nc'yty  no  an  N^  ny  p»in  pai  pnn  N^  ny  an  pa  15 
Diba  nyy  sb  mnoa  «nji  mn^  ^npio  U»K  is^npn  niao  w»«  nao 
an  N^B>  ny  p^tn  pai  pnn  N^  ny  an  pa  imvnjm  main  ^ya 
lao11  bax  /a^npnb  niosi  ".iauo  K^N  o^n^»  I^NJT  »ab  Diba  n&y 
IK  K^N.n  ns  vnam  .enpb  B^DB^I  i^a^b  ary>  IN  ^'•an  pnab  von 
N^N  *b  PN"  :noKB>  ioa  p^opi  owm^Ki  DDDD  p  na  ibba11 

p'Nn  nt<  bib  »bn  ouamaw  Ditaoim  naupi  jop  nianb  pao  n 
-n»  paa  7nra  nwyb  bann-i  ynaab  nrn  nwn  nx  vrab  OKI  ".ntwn  nx  IN* 
rs  povKn  nw"  :noKB>  ica  /nnsnb  D»anx  PK  .n^oni  mil 
naro  ^aab  ntra  pnosKn  nw"  :niyi  ".i 


n  DJ  e|DW  "nea  DN  bax*  Kbi"  man  pfnbi  ".noiyoa 

noNJB'  D»"«DKn  onann  nvpoa  na  pnn  pi  ,iaoo  manb 

nrybx  n  OK  "  :  noKB>  ioa  ,obaa  xb  ".ibax^  xb "  ".basn  sb "  '^bas11  sb "  ona 

nsan  IID^N  nnNi  nb^as  mo\s  nns  ibas^  sb  baxn  xb  bax11  sb  ae'  Dipo  ba 

•ub  nbaaa  aman  n.b  ona^  n.nna  ainan  n.b  ona'p  ny  yo^oa  5 
nra  ia->nianbi  ".nbaa  ba  ibaxn  sb  N^ann  n^aoa  '•labi  n.ny^a 
baio  xin  moa  —  "pa  -ntwi  byai  .nnians  b^a^a  nnvpa 


224  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

IIP  13.1:?  i^y  Tjnne>  ,101^  »3in  /won  "HOT  $>jne>  anaim  . 

,Dn  ioi!>  *3i:n  ,ri33  i3ns>  yiu  xta  IIBM  ^yn  ptt  ,Dn3  a»n  ,ru3 
sin  -pis  .ntron  on  ana  3sn  lyio.i  HEM  byiv  onnnni  .^33  rn  10 
n33  DN  iic>n  ns  n^ni?  D'anjn  D^  PT:  D^e6  a»n  .v^y  n^jns'  nny 
ns  D^ITD  N^N  ynn*D  a»n  ITK  nb  p«na  N^  CN  i?nx  ; 
D^  T">^i  .nrw3n  nan  T»rnni?  n^n  .D^ptr  onrh?  nay!? 
jnw  K^t?  mtrn  bya^  onsnm  .onsn  nt^cn  D^DI  .1 
nn^n  nrt  ^n  D^e6  3*n  :nno  insn  ,D^B>  on  nna  i-n  15 
tnn  inv  P3BTH  ,nn"o  3»n  U»K  pnnn  ns  n:i!?  piann  N 
nw  pa  onm  n'^rcn"  iroKtr  IM  ,12020  xi?  ^lo 

nK  D^C>D  nyio  nny  nns  px  Dm  ony  -pv  nyio  nyiob  nn 
ini3  irx  cm  y^o  n^^cr  D^  nyio  i2ian  ns  Q^B-D  WN  oni  i2i3n 
p  D^BTD  ijno  pr:  ^n  n^zo  nni  D^  pr:  D^{W  nyio  ybo  txvkv  20 
vm  nrpnn  JD  nit32i  1233  3«n  e*  "  :  myi  ".12130  oSpo  oni  iT^yn 
nro  niD2  v*i  n?3i  nr3  a«nK>  tr»  naan  p  11021  nn'03  n^n^ 
moi  nro  1102  n3»3  N^  nn  nni  nn  3-^n  njiaa  nyio  nroi 
nn^os  3*»n  njiaa  on  nn'on  jo  "11021  1233  3"n  H3133  N^  nyio 
n33  nw  i^  tmy  T>       0360  H^^H  HWOn        ".issn  p  11021  25 


4a 

ns  ^pof'  D»3*n  ^N  n^oni  ^noe'  K^I  IJIC^B'  12  nnni  tswhv  hono 
^3  irp  rajn  123  nni?  inn-'n  DNI  .D^OC'  nu  nn^  ^isi  Kin  D:I  ,11^1 
DN  'ii  DIB^I?  biono  sin  ru3  utr  DNI"  :3in3B>  u:3  7nir23  i^y  ncnntr  no 
i  "  :  next?  103  jcfsifm  n^o1-  ne6t?  —  DIB^P  hono  n3i3  ".31  v  }3  IN  31  y  v  123 
DV"  :iiyi  ".m  IHN  nr  ons*  ne^B'  13  n-ynty  ijno  OIN  mirp  5 
Df>iyb"  :IION^  103  ,021^.1  ^323  03  — vi>y33  lyini 
n  "323  iniT-yn  pi  rra  ^3231  n^ysn  ^23  inn^yB>  iy  nyio 
iy  nyio  ~v«y  nxyy*  p«  Q^ysn  ^323  vb\  pi  n^3  ^323  pi  n»a  ^323 


HEBREW   TRANSLATION 


225 


'3331  p 

nny  jm  niny  a 
K  n  "  :  IIONS?  103  /n 


1V3 

nn  n?B>n  DV  D»3B> 
not?  N^  DN  —  i^ya 


»3B3 

tpn  DV  D'ot?  10 

DIN  nryK  n  "  :  IIONS?  103  /nyrrca  not?  N    DN  —  iya  mos^  N^I  ".nnN 
noNK>  103  ^ot?  *Ta  nrvo  —  nov  v^ya  oai  ".pao  K^K  HTO^  ^  p« 
nn  i33n  jo  nios  oni  nssn  nx  D^D  nyio  noi  Di«n  ns  TOJ^ 
W  nnx"  :nrn  nsnn  ns  nnsas  iioN1!  ".m3  pi  J33  }31  nnns  paTi  nn 
DIN 


i  nvn 


DIN 


NN  i3»«  IN  nw 


15 


PN 


>  nss  inpn 

.D^DB'  »T3  pnoio^  jvns  psnu  ^3N  DIN  n»3  pnoioi*  pna 
y  Nin  nsn  nst:n  nov  HID  n^prn  »an  wn  pi  n^prn  ON" 

TVFP  ^33  ON  ".nw 
N  DN  ^3>  "  :  noNB>  i»3  /3H 
ne'i'1  p  ICNJ  n3o  nxo  jnu  Nn^  n3o  n«o  DN  DNI  n:o  b 
".p  n*aa  p  -nc«n  SJK  pn  rvaa  j^n^  IIDNH  i^y  n^i^  no 
,DJTN  rronyn  nN  Ds^jyo  UN  PN  /Dni*arn  xb  minn^  onan 
nyaon  "  :  IIONI?  103  /nin  HN  einone'  -am  nan  HN  nyaon  .miN  B>3jp 

nan  nona  nyaon       M,on»6  IIDO  13^1  onN  WD  nioa  nan  HN 

nioo  i3Hi  DIN  »3HD  mas  nan  nona  n»yaen"  :noN^  103  ^non^i  25 

no  nan  IN  nnn  i>3ND  nan  nona 


lanin  nnN  PNI  wnin  nn«  mmn 


N.T  ruo 
ji^ni? 


pn 


4b 
nion  DDI  »3Bi*nn  n^n  rapg&n"  :IIONB>  103  ynion  DD  IN  nNV  IN 


13N31 


••oa 


11DO  13H1  DIN 

nnN  na  ni^  naoo  D^Toty  noi  noiN  ma 
nenyn"  mcNB'  103  /iNDn  ^o  nionan  nnN  HN 
n11^    ".D^O^  moo  uni  DIN  »3HD  niD3  nan  nona  vsb  nNtan  ^o  jniini  5 
p  n^a  n^t?"  moNB'  103  xnBn3K  nso  nam  D'-yanN  nip^o  niani?  n 
ION  N3n    ".D*oe6  ^IDO  um  DIN  wo  IIDB  pnm  pn  n^a 
pn  n^a  m^na  NS-IB>  IOIN  N3ii"  :noNB>  103  ^rm  pn  n^a  mcna 


226  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH'S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 


rooann  nnsa  nnoo    ".DW  'ana  a*m  ms  »ano  -noa  pnm 

nb  pnm  ibwa  men  K^P  na  n^s  *yoo  no  iaiy  innb  10 
pnm  p  no  nwo  ntw  »ycn  naiyn  n«  innen"  :r»OKtp  102  ,tt 
in  Tin  na»yvw  na  ma  plan    ".owb  1100  I:HI  DIN  »a*no 

yaa  nan  bw  mnx  ns^an  IN  nop  siaian  .nan  niona 

.T'yni?  DHV  naie'n  .nna"ic>  IN  nn^a111!  nn&crrt?  np^T 

*ii>  ja  'enn*  -i  OK"  :  ncMB'  ioa  ;injn^  N^ni  nan^  nan^n  nny  tnaon  15 

ma  plan  }n  I^NI  D^OB>  y^na  a«m  DIN  »ano  IIDQ  DHIN  n^yn  onan 

nan^  "ip^  ny  naitrm  np^in  yaa  nan  ^  inop  sjattm  nan  nona 

now  tJ'in  T»a  myan  nx  nbwn    ".i!>  n-yo  U»NI  nan^  nny  jnvm  T'yn^ 

now  ^nn  T'a  ni'-yan  nx  nh^n  "  :  now?  ioa  ^pnm  jop  IN 

vba  la^cy  »o    ".D*C^  *ana  a«ni  DIN  ••ano  ">IDS  jopi  20 
na  ma^a  "  :  •ncsty  ioa  ,-i^a^a  ivy  DB>  ihnni  /DDK  N^I  nmn  -pna 

nbaat?  w»na  n»oynb  Pennon  ",ai  DIK  yno  II 

",ai  DIN  yno  nioa  m^yn  «h  i^oa  H^DJ"  most!'  i»a  /l 
i»iNn  N^an"  moKB'  ioa  /it  n^  ^y  naina^  n'-pa  trsa 
••an  DWD  OIK  SN»^  nioa  m5»wi  a«n  Nin  B'san  HN  aim  NV  vrbzh  25 


nB>  *KD  ai  poy  '•aa  anna  nain  WKI  aV  a«n  inw  K»aan 
n^ya  nwna  nonan  npnn^a  /o*avnn  nana  pyot?  i  IDKI    ",D<IC^ 
:  no  wn*ai  ^ran  ^ya^i  p^r»n  ^ya^  nanitwn  nicnai  n^ya  ^  na^N^ 
nun  B»»B>  Qipo  ^a  ppraa  OIK  iry^N  p  pyo«?  i  HM  onan  nyaiK" 
panwn  nvn  paa  nrh  n£  ban  }D  iioa  pi^ab  K^  p»»b  baa  a«n  p»tob  K^I  5 
byi  rwan  bsn  nawa  bjn  na^aa  bjn  nn^aa  by  nioa  bannt  wn  by  nypam 
xb  mm  PKB>  oip»  bai  pra  n:n  ob^o  cni  ota  pra  obtj^  mno  nc^ya 
byi  obti>  pra  nb^o  bann  by^  \vn  by  Drra^  b»  na»KB>  nvn  paa  nib  xbi  nrb 
ob^  pra  ob^»  nyio  no»ya  byi  nvan  byi  nawa  bjn  ns^aa  byi  nn^aa 


HEBREW    TRANSLATION  227 

pra  D^IO  bsn  hy  JOIN  psnu  i  DIK  pyDt?  ii  "iry^N  i  pt3  n?n  D^PD  nni  10 
i>yi  navi3  ^jn  nrvaa  byi  D^  P»  B^D  hin  ^>yi  fpn  ^>y  JOIN  bam  D^B> 
*I    ".pra  nm  D^B>D  om  tbv  pt3  obtPD  njno  ntrya  by\  swan  i>jn  na*^ 
nain  p*«  ipi'n  nivon  "n^K'  nnainm    .wnini  n^rn^  D^pvn  nra 
yai3m  ynin  rr^en  one^a  ni^a:  i3n  "  :  noKt^  no  ton  nrn  jora 
~m?  innn  nnnan  nsi  r5isi  an  n«i  n^xn  ns  nnni  w  nvhsi  15 
p  o^yan  nn-'oa  nov  v^ya  DJI  5>pD»  nie'n  at^  n^^ 
^yaisn  DIN  '•jaro  npoas  i^n  onain  5>a  pii>  n^3Mi 
n»an  fann  Diip  rot?  D^yaiK"  :no«B'  ioa  .D^P  rm  ^t^n  n»an^ 
iiyi  ".ni^Bs  »an  13*1  N^  l|JD1|nax  na  pny  n  ON  xna^n  ••«»!>  mana  na^i  m3D.  n^> 

iT3  ^3N  ^TN  iT«   ^31   Nn23   NVini>  HH33   K^  n"    :nDK   20 

yh  *a  PNI  NpT  <iNnin'ia  in  snaa 
n^nnys  '•NCN  n^  now  N^^  n^ 
nnn  »a»o  ini?  DM  Min  N^DP  na 


in  Dyai  naa^s  INDH    NI^  my  DN  25 


i>nM  ^N  x'-anb  ^npn  a'n  /wy  IB>M  nana  ID^NI  onioxn  onnn 
pam  .Dnty  p  nn«  .WMI  f>y  onn*  nN  myn  ypr  i3»Di  . 

nmp  ^y  WDD  jnai  ^oya  yat?  nansn  »3B  i>M  IDTD  m» 
naron  ^>y  n^pni  .ni'iyn  nar»  nio11  !?N  "jay  nniani  .niDpn 
nan  i>a  HN  Mnnm  .on^  H^DJI  oni»  naai  .naa  ^y  nnnvni  vnv^ai         5 
i"  :ainaK'  i»a  ,DB>  ejn^i  /trnn  iaB>  i?N  nine  oipo  i>M  rono^  pno 
ai  jnan  M»am  ai  yn  ypr  larooi  ai  nMonn  njnui  ai  yai  ^  i?Nn^  my 
",ai  nan  HN  stnnm  ai  ia^  n^y  ai  la^n  ^a  n«i  ai  Din  JDI  ai  pan 

v^yn  nnan  fe1  "myn  »apr"i  "myn  ^y "i  "h^W  my"  man 
nawn  ni»na  PIJD  ir  irw  ^Mit^a  mnvcn  myn  i>MiB«  my"  :noMB>  10 


228  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH'S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 


p  «|K  pn  n-a    r    moNn  >np  no    np    n>  -»owi    np  p  MB>  "is"   :niyi  ". 
121  D^yai  "  :  noNt?  103  ,nb  nwo  xh  nwon  p  p^n  "  nan  D^yji  "  payi  ".  pn  n*a 
ma  p«  noN  span  nx  npy^  pn  rva  mn"  :no«i  ".n^>a  nrco  D^ynn^  N^I 
mn  p-iiua  i^x  nn  minn  mr  may  PN  mina  naty  px  mma 
mina  ma  ^  nox  nsrxa  pa^n  I^N  nn  jnvpo  ^oah  |nvpo  owpb  15 
x  mina  natj'  ty  nioa  DV  naaa  DV  niov^  ^y  xan  ^ax 
ax  mina  mr  may  B»  nioa  n^ann  nitjni? 
mn"    ".span  ^a  N/I  nan  -iai  D^yii  y&  pa^n  I^N  nn 
pa-'-n  PN  bas  mina  on  ^  nxr»«3  pa^n  I^N  nn  nvpo 
anpn  a^n  ^y  vb^  pa«n  px  bax  mina  a^n  ^  D^D^  aipn  Din  i»y  20 
">ONI  ".pa-'Ti  I^N  nn  n'-D^a^  bias  ^y  N^N  pa^n  px  ^>ax  mina  hae 
n!?on  niVD  K^I  «  nivo"  :no«B'  ioa  /»  nivo  M*KB>  non  f^ian^  " 
K^  xjnia  it^yj  DS'^  Dnai  oa^ay  "nauryn  Nb  nc'N"  mani    ",pn  n^a  nixo 
ps"  :inrDNB>  103  /ma  noi^  »aixn)  «  nxo  nnan^  a-n  onix  ncnyn  nvi  ^ 
nva  nax^o  ntnyn  paa  Kin  nn    ".nNtsn  ina:^  5?yi  nna  wnw  ">an  i?y  X^N  pa«n  25 


6a 


na^ooni  .ona  wn*ai    o  K       nyi  noaa  p»n 

niaanpa  vb  ^as  ymr  may  n^y^  janpa  oai  nrn  jaipa  nvn^  nans 

xan  nao  pn  na^oo  jna  p^  iia^v  niaanp  i?ai"  :no«B'  loa  7onnK  niav 

".niava  nia^o  »ne>  moa  Ma»a*n  ox"  :niyi  ".mr  may  n^yen  nison 

twin  ^y  n*  na^oo  "  :  i-ioNt?  103  /^oion  n*  '•nc'a  nvni?  nansi  5 
nnnvon  my"  :no»&*  ioa  ,r\w  mwfo  D'-ans  myn 

nairn  yai  ",rw^  nn  hp^  n^a  pxi  D»aa>  nn  ypr  iaooi  . 
mroa  noiy  n\i  hna  pa  "  :  noxtr  loa  ,niTO  »ai>3  nawn  nyB>3  nnyio 
".pasa  «  »a^w  :no«B>  ioa  ;:iasn  naron  <ai»3  on^11  nani  ".anyo 
£B£  pin"  :nox^  loa  ^n^niano  ^  pino  —  nanob  pno  n:iai  10 


HEBREW    TRANSLATION  229 


IN  yun  -p  inw  ,QBW  oniDNn  ona-in  inx  naaea  new  N^n11  «n«  DN 
/etn  by  IH»  IODI  .omn  any  -w  imp  nx  tpan$>  a*n  /insan 
lanai  lyavxa  IBID  jnan  nph  .nhyn  ns  on^  IK>N*  Dip»a  mnt?i 

b$  ISJB^  wco  nnwm  ,n!?iyn  nnr»  nuip  ^y  15 
jron  v^y  isai  .D'D^n  nnr  n^na  mi?n  ^3 
ai  pan  np^  ai  n»  HDDI  s\  vi>K  jnin  IN  5i  6ff  K^a  mrs  "  :  aina^  ica  /i>  n^o^i 
nr  N'tw  Kin  nr^N  "  :  nost?  102  ,1^0  «»n  «^a  nbon  natti  ".ai  n^n  ^ 
•ro^  poi>  DIK  xin  j^i  ,i»n*>«  «  niv»  bso  nnx  n^yi  w  ^cn 
vnb«  «  K^«  vna  ^y  pxe*  «^a  j?rb  -JIDKH  .vn^K  no  vn^x  "  nx  nxi^  20 
rfjN  jnin  IK  na«i  ".vn/K  »  K^K  vaa  i>y  ps^  «^a  p  TioN 

vi>N  ynn"  MICKB'  ma  .inNona  icxya  xin  yTcr  — 
n»s»  nev  xh  v^«  yiin  6^  ?b^n  D1^  i^  new  I^SN  pao 
N^a"  moNB'  i»a  xp^  D^P  «^i  ^o  invnn  v!>y  nnm  nrn  pnpni 
pip  N^an^j  a^n  rrn  OKI  ".uvin  Nini  stanza  N!?I  N'ira  Nini  Non^a  25 


6b 

nip  iniatan  vmn%.n  ia  inxi  /£»  mvna  nra 

",iw  tfaio  N^JI  is  joan  nw  ir6n;D  lay  "p  insi 
N^ani?  a^n  ^nia^o  npos^  inx  n^yo^  lann  sonn  nx  Nun  ON 

^  inNi  inin^co  iaysr  n^io  jna  "  :  IICN^  ma  pmna  jaip  5 
is  N'-ao  rvE'D  jna  NDH  na  inxi  in^nan  iayt^  x^:n  jai 
•psn  nyo  nnx  DN       .1iDD  n^/^nn  ni¥&n          ".oinna 

/nxan  I^N  ynin  -ja  IHNI  yDniDNn  n^iain  nns'  nc>yi  naat^a 
by  VT1  ^OD1  ,riNDn^  D'-^aan  jo  IN  nnyn  jo  napa  iaaip  HN  x^an^  a*n 
niaip  by  lyavsa  rmno  jnan  jnai  .nbiyn  Dip»a  unc'n  ^  in«  ,nc>Ni  10 
ioin  irxa  na^n  ion  .nic1*  ^x  ns^11  mum  ^n^iyn  naro 


230  HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

nboai  jnan  vby  naai  .vby  TDpni  pnbvn  pip  abn 
vbN  ynin  IN  31  p«n  oy»  roasta  Nnnn  nnN  paa  DNI  "  :  ainat?  102  ,ib 
ai  IT  DN  "poi  ai  c>aa  DNI  ai  nabn  ba  nw  ai  none  pan  npbi  ai  in>  nx  HODI  ji 
nan  T»^n  by  D:  nmn  nrn  pnpn  ",5i  in^n  ^3  nw  ai  tbnn  DID  jnan  np^i  15 

,p  n^a  nN"iini  nenyn  i?2N  ;pi  n^n  nsnina  xi?  /oxy  riN-n 
ni»in  "  j  nous?  102  /aoc  np^noo  pipn  nam  ^^  IN  nan  Toi»n  rvn  DN  5>nan 
nnx  y-n  pn  n^n  nin  nvr1|N3  IIDS  p  n»aa  nSn  a^n 
p  pyoB'ai  ny  p  pyopa  nmir^  ^NT  TD^n  IN  iyta 
nhn  nnwya  oib  obn  a^n  NTP  ha»  on^a  ^y  ntryi  -pn^n  n^ni  son  20 

pn  n*a  mn"  myi  ".niM  pn  n^aa  nbin  a«n  icvya 
by  aaic>  ntryi  T-HM  ibm  mina  nniosn  nivo  ba»  nnN 
pai  onnnx  rwjn  HW  i^ai  on»y  n^yi  wyc>  pa 


jnam  ibon  HN  nrr  pxn  oyo  vnanai  ",pn  rvaa  rbnw  ^ao  maa  nr  nn 

p  DN^vini  "^cnn  nnN  trsa  OKI"  na  ncNa^  "^a:"a  abba  N^I 

nvn  "nnN  nn^ya"  viana  ".N^ab  Dna  p«n  nyo"  :no«B»  iioa  .nm  pn 

n^an  n^aN  nry  DNI  .invpD  N^  ^anp  .Tby  n^n^  iba  n^yon  ba  n»ib 

ba  PN  ypnp  a'n  iniN  ntjnynt?  ntryon  ba  nN  naa^a  ^yi  inynb  B«N  5 
naa  x^sion  N^an"  :n»N^  i»a  ypnp  N^anb  o>a^n  /in11  oba  N^  ^no  nnx* 
N^  DN  D'.N  min^  n  a^no  -VNO  n  n^a^  imKwn  a«n  n^ann  ni^nb 
DIN  pyoa>  n  jmoa  wb  DNI  pa^n  D»JB>  inwsim  iN^inb  nnN  ha11 
•"^D  '•an  Nao  pnioa  D"a^  vii«nnm  w»nb  nnN  ha11  N^  '•a  by  «JK 
nxpNa  NH  nnxpo  nt^ya  N^  nba  n^ya  nnN  nnt^ya  pan  wm  10 
niN«nm  napa  paniai  oiobipa  poaicn  naiaa  praibi  rab»a  pmiN 
nban  b^  biaya  nn^ya  »ib  rbbn  pa^n  in*  bia^  o^ann  nitsnb 
DN  DIN  rniiT  n  D'-ann  niB'nb  iniN^ini  nmpa  omn  nimb 
pyoty  n  pnioa  iNb  DNI  pa^n  D»JB>  im«^ni  iN^inb  nnN  bia^  Nb 
n.ab  pnitsa  D^at^  miN^ni  wjnnb  nnN  bia*  Nb^  "a  by  *IN  15 


HEBREW    TRANSLATION  231 


nivo"  nNM  n«oa  vi2m  ".pnioa  uw  D^B?  3»n  rrow?  w  nrwjn 
jmn  IN  "  oai  "  «  nrco  "  vi3*6  nnnina  cw  "  V$>K  jrnn  IK  "  DJI  "  « 
.nNtn  JVBTonn  nwob  nioTipn  mvon  »n&*  11x22  IIENJP 
N!>  IK>N  121  ntwn  «on&»  *o       .tifcD  M'^^n  niXJbH 

IKXH  p  D"»n  b»K  K»an^  n^n  D^NU'  yi1"  K^I  nvp  20 
a  DKI"  ::nrDP  ioa  ^  H^DJI  inaat!'  ^y  v^y  nsai  .jnan  ^N  n^x  pipb 
n^  ^33  n^apa  ",ii  wn  DB^K  ai  6  D^on  ^»K  K»3ni  ai  BW  Nann  »3 
y^3KD  ^'•D  '•J^  vjsi?  vnB»  B^N^  np  naas^m  nrn 
nno  nrxo  sn11  xh  DHD  nnsa  ^NI  ^nio  y^m  IIDK  one 


7b 

;N2  |no  IPK  ^y  yT1  K^I  }n»  nnx  ^y  K3i  /^SK  ininsi  in^x  vnt?  IN  ;^JN 
yniDK  JOTS  IN  inn  jon  nniN  n^y  DN  yi11  tb\  roNbo  nvy 


DVI  n3B*  ajB*  jno 

DK1   "/^n   DB>N  K^D  HB'y  JHD  nt»K3  JHT  pNI  }H»  nHN3  nSK^O  5 

nnntjo  ^sn^  TIX  nna  n^n  jvra  iniN  ^KHB*  nm  naa»»3  i»3K 
unr  b  p3«nt!>  131  "  :  noKB»  102  /i^n  D^N  pip  ipso  i?yi  nNun  pip 
K»3o  2^>n  i^-iNn  DIN  K3»py  ^  .^^n  DPN  ipso  nNan  inj^  i>yi 
n^yi'D  ••j^n  »i!>n  D^N  K*3o  ^N  N^  PSD  bN  pao  y^on 
jn»  irN  jnv  iaw  jno  nnN  nN  ^N  inw  1^2  ^  n3»nm  10 

jntiB>  IN  NDHB'  1^  112H  pipn  HN  K*3i1B»  nPIK  OKI  ".*&!  DBW 


nr    2tr2  ia»ni  .nyin^  ny2  mo 
yiu  IN  Ntanty      yii:  12  IHNT  ii  DPN  N*2r:n  "  :  IIDN^  103  /ana  pip 

nyi»  6iN  63m  I»KD  i  n2i  ny2  nyvi  N^  nt^y*  no  NDn  K^B»  15 

n^  von  ^a>i  130^  3Nno>^  ny 
nit  m2y2  natwi  my  DN 


232  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

120:1  inrooi 


nvn  31  «  nrc  IPN    a  nN  31 

-iiNaa  worn  naa  ".31  my  bab  H^DJI  31  pan  nsai  31  nyn  ^^D  DN  20 
nsrn  mxon  Dii  ^mmon  nmo  ainanc'  "Ji  ^  my  b  DNI" 
my  no  my  ^nb  nowi  my  p  n»N3  "  :  noKt^  ioa  ^na 
ii  ",nsmni>  pi«n  o^a  vn*^  ny  p  mioxn  my  ^N  nNiin^  p^xn 
aman  nir  maya  DIN  nnx"   jonnan  SM  nr  ^y  nnainn  .N^n  mr  maya  nsrn 


8a 

DN  nsni  oil?  6i?n  minas?  nixon  ^ao  nnxa  N^N  WN  IN  nano 
ir  irxi  noxy  '•Jaa  HIDNI  n  nivo  ainan  nm11  ii  yj  myn  yyo 
tra:  as  .Ufta  n»ya^n  Hl^bn  "  mr  may 

.r>NDr6  nnaB>  na  ry  anpn^  naTi  nnr  maya  n::t^a 
ai  n33^a  NDnn  nnN  B's:  DNI"  rainacr  102  ,nb  n^o:i  jnan  n^y  naai  5 

n\i  33iB>n  *?&  nrn  n3K>?DnB'  nnainm     u.^n  t^a:n  ^y  jnan  -isai 

!?a  ^aa  nn*n  mr  may  ^a  Nann  nnN  D(D3  CNI  "  :  Dnnan  NM  nnr  maya 

n»ai  n^o  Tyt^  N^J  m*y^  IN  nacra  n^y  Nsao  n-n^nc'  nwon 

nyapa  jnh  n^y  nnsnn^  n^ao  nN^no  ainan  nn  is  psoao  pi 

mow  iai?  nsDni>  nna^  na  ry  n^y  pN^ao  ITB>DI  N^3  THM  in"^  10 

.n»y^nn  nix^n  ".it  ncna 

D11^  IN  ^aam  naaan  nN  TB>nb  n^'io  n11  PNI  a33  ^N  DN 
PN  DNI  tbw  D^B>"  :aina:?  103  ,3333^  D^11^  na  naoni?  Nin  njxo  .n^ya!? 
n3pn  'a"  wniNa  nma  j^aoo  iiNa  n«rn  n«on  nN  wnNa  naa  ".ai  b 
yvm  niNa  10^3     .}to  nan  T'arn^  yix  13^5  PNI  /3^n  naon  n^Nia  "ay  nay  15 
pi>nn    ,nrn  p^na  nbyoi>  nar3^  nivon  m^y  nnN  JD  n^y  nivo  pn 


,5i  oen  Nonn  ••a  c'33i"  n^iaa  ma?3^  /la^n  JVTO 


HEBREW   TRANSLATION  233 


pp  n^y  D»B*  xb"  :ain:jE>  i»a  ,n:ii3i>  n^y  n^'h  pp  n^y  npv^  now 

npv^  \nzb  ib  most?  »a  ^y  P|NB>  fe  nbapa    ".naa^  n^y  jrv  xh 

v^y  pp  D»B^  i!>  into  /nanpnt?  DTIP  naiah  pe>  nrn  pnpn  by 

omp  miab  vby  n^  OKI    .unpni?  inv^  no  MCO  anprw 

i»a  ^imaijn  HN  tapi?^  nnx  ynanpn  inxn  nx  anpni> 


ru 


8b 


"  :p  DJ  ptya  now    ".i 

n  p^nn  ^  wnwa  D^J    ",nn»B>  ^y  wn  fnw  jnu 


»r  p  pn  ri  wx*\  nan^  nixan  p  »j 
pnx 


nain  psi  monan  JD  D^aion  nwaipn  nana  nivo  nit^y  n3»i^     ia  nno 
nrco  nry  ^13  on»  pewin  :&pbn  vvh  mpbrv  |ni  ;nrn  jora 
nwanpn  nana  mxo  ya^  bbte  y^n  p^nn    .n^yn  t6  mso  nact?  ^ 
cn-'pijn  <ae6  nip^m  jm  ;nrn  jora  }JT»JT^  nain  PNI  7nra  Nvvai  pnn  p  D^a^on  10 

.n^yn  N^  nivn  *ns?  bba  'Jtrni  ntry  nivo  c'on  bbv  on»  ptwin 

/ma  wn*3i  ^wean  '•aiyi  /D1|D3:n  -^ana  ni^o  m^y  nnx  ^ha  V^OT  pi'nn 

e^cn  nc'y  nivo  fno  t?>on  ymv»  naioB'  ^ia  DTO  pe^nn  :  D^n  wb  mpi^na  jm 

naint?  n^y  mso  ^B>  bha  'atwn  ;nrn  pra  |nwp^  nain  p«B>  ,n^yn  N^  nivo 

in     bnn  TINi          .m«3  ^Bn  o^^  frai    .DIPOI  JOT  5>aa  init^yb  15 

nixa  pn^  nwan  *iK>y  p  nii^Nin  niv^n 

mo  ta  pup  n^on  iar  x^an^  njsrp  npan  p  nhy  anpni?  aianon 


234  HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


1011  one*  p-nns    ,i>by  nasb  wxn  by  VT  IOD>  13  nn«    .ijno  bnx  btf 
,vnnjb  nna'i  DPB'  13  nns    .iyio  bns  nna  b*x  -KPK  naron  by  asao  p-n» 

DX"    :3W13B>  1O3  ,0^03  VB131  131p  JIN   WPP  ^HK   naton  by  C>N3  span  20 

ji  laiyi  ai  iin3i  ai  o^am  ai  i*1  ns  I»DI  ii  pan  p  iaanp  n^y 

D^anpoB'  nyn  tyy  nvn^  inv^  traiao  "  ai  nna  ^N  "  man    ",5i  vynai  ianpi 

inna  by  ^ia»  mix  paiatr  10^0  iniK  anp»  "  j  nowj'  103  ^NOB^  pai  mnB>  pa  ijanp  nx 


9a 

an  tj>sn  by  IT  IDDI  "  man  p:jn    ".y«  win  IDN*^  iy  ins  paia 
"  man  ruiai  ".poniB>  paoiDt?  oipoa"  moNB'  ioa  7inhr  N^nn'-on 

twy  ain^n  i3^>  T»atn  N^  r\vy  nivo  nnny  ^y  maa  "ii> 
;|na  Nvvai  '^nw  onb  W>"  ".npyo  nnw"  |iaa  /i^y  naiyn 

pja  .nipni  fisprb  I^SNE'  npyn  N^  niso  may  ^y  maai  5 
jna  Nwai  "p  ny  DO  n»mn  K^I  "  "  pi  n^n  n^  ai  D*33n  i?y  DNH  npn  «i>  " 
by  i»Nn  DN  i^  mna  oipon  no  ^y  i^  mna  oipon^  10^0"  :nra  IIDKB'  103 
»Ta  ni3  Q»DB>  »T3  nn^o  pi  n»3  nn^o  jrr^y  pa^n^  onan 
oipon  no  by  IION  }^3y  nn  niotwi  HINDH  D^yanx  nip^o 
n  niB3m    ".ryyy  Dip  nna  t^"^  npyn  M^  nixo  byi  n^y  nivo  ^y  10 

"  :  na^oon  nana  oai  nn  noNB>  103  /»T  TDHI  minn^  nns 
»ne>  pa  IT  'np  moi  anyoa  vaai  aiyoa  IDIDI  anyoa  vaai  paxa  noiy  nar 

nar  ^ 

nan  rvn  xh  IT  ^y  it  IH»  H'-JO  .Tn  sh  nrnn  ^aa  by  in*  n»ao  HM  «h 
^y  nxun  py  nxun  ^y  n^ay  py  i^y  minoi  manf6  D*T  pa 
n  nan  <ini  on^  pstr  ns^ai  nnaen  op^  py  nSy  ^y  noa's  py  15 
»jy  jna  B^B>  onsn  maso  nhy  no  by  na^py  •i  ib  DIM  ^^an 
byi  nK>y  nivo  by  nnsso  nbiy  no  by  PHIDK  jnbtr  rwyn  sb 
jnsb  n»nn  :nomo  "onan"  nboi  ".n^y  Dip  jna  tw  n^yn  sb 
onayai  nnni  D^aa  mcra  baa  no^nc'"  :r»DKB>  103  pr«6  nrb  D:I 


HEBREW    TRANSLATION  235 

pyaia  D»KDon  vrv  xbt?  nabai  D'enp  njnpa  ib'sxi  n^xonai  20 
mrpD  nxm  muynp  nnaia  "n  x  ovarian  pnx  »aa  unpm"  man  bax 
baa  mt?a  PIBTRP  bax  /wna  nrao  -jb\xi  nbapo  "  :  noKj?  i»a  ,onrb  xb  ,D*3n 
anyoa  n^x  naron  pp  by  Din  nx  nps?  "Tao"  nbon  n:«i 

ppn 


9b 


DHMI  trsnn  nm  7Dnn^  D>iaN  DJ^jy  "^nnab  mw  nrm"  inam 
wnui  K'Nnn  nx  inin  "  :  noKt?  wa  ,D'aTm  aipm  aam  nrnm  o»bnm 
rp»M  bnb  nby  Q»TH  nx  nmn  ai  u^jnan  nx  nmn  ia  nars^  ''ob 
ib  xa  ai  n»ao»n  janb  nby  ai  nrnn  nx  bo:  ai  nuipn  ns  btaj  a^  namn  5 
",:i  n^KDVn  ban  btsa  ai  ppiyb  ib  xa  ai  n^bxctrn  isnb  ib  sa  ai  nnab 
n^vyn  ba"  :n»xB>  ioa  ,1231  m  '•vyD  pn  /w^  D'vy  ba  —  t^xn  by  lanyi 
?y  ben  nax  ben  nasn  bt^  nuaioa  n^'an  ibxa  bax  jsa  btri  nn  btw  pn 
INVH  p  nbiy  a>-ipnb  aiannn  .1^23  H^^H  ni^Dn  ".?w 

naron  IT  by  onsj"  ia  nnx  .DIG  ia  px  n^x  D^DD  nar  x^anb  nixo  10 

^  nnx  .ano  narnn  by  ion  nx  oynan  pnx  ^aa  ipin  .«  '•asb  naiav 

jxvn  jo  DXI"  :aina^  wa  yvynai  unp  nx  ixmB'  nnx  ?in^  vnnab  nna11 

i»a  yDHn»o  nnax  "nnai"  payi  ".ai  D^ynam  anpm  ai  inx  nnai  ai  tanen  ai  np 

i»a  nnix  iby^  ia  nnx  .nxrn  mson  <i33b^  mroa  lanisaa  nbyob  lanoxcy 

".Dnmnab  tfnna  px  i^nnab"  :n»XB>  ica  .naion  by  one'  15 
eiwn  p  nbiy  anpnb  anan»n  &&&  ffttfaffft  HlXfin 

.naron  by  mix  anp^  pani  .navn  '•aa  ix  omnn  p  x'-anb  nixo 

nnx  naron  n*p  by  IDT  nvo>i  naron  by  n»op»i  IB'X-I  nx  pbo^  ia  nnx 

.jcnn  nipo  bx  nonp  narrsn  bxx  mix  Tbe^i  .nxiani  nxnon  n^one' 

by  5]iyn  p  DXI"  jainaa'  ioa  ,naron  by  in^p^i  .jbna^  xbi  vaaa  yDB«  ia  nnx  ao 

anpm"  inano  lanob  u.ai  aa  mx  yoan  31  o  nx  TDHI  31  {.nan  lanpm  ai  p 

noa^D  p-ipb  nvixn  nmnac'  nibnantr  "  p  x  navn  »aa  p  ix  oninn  jo 

H  S 


236         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


vb  yrvtrb  DJTKIO  ^rw  TWO  rovn  *aa  S>3«  ;3»r«nb  I. 
BIB  ruvn  '33  ^3  N^>I  ruvn  '33  jo  onmn  i>3  K!>I  omnn  JD"  MIDKP  103  , 


io  a 

pie>3  pun  »nD'j 


^wn  p  t?>Nin  TIN    nsn    7n»  ,mav3  m  >3  .ccnm  mpn  DJT 
•p  nnx  311  IN  nns  r\r\wn&&  0^3  1^130  WNI  pav3  pbio  "  :  nos^  103 

P^ID  wn  p  5|iyn  nstans  p^ioi?  DWI  nnx  3n  IN  nnN  nnp^o  5 
nwn  PDwinDn  ^ph  "3n3»  n»n  ejiyn  nhjW  K^K  sjiyn  nijiyn 

"  :ni»iN  NnsDinm  ".cnpose'  ni^p  nnnyo  in"  :ne« 
s?  p3  n^n  '•nty  vniyssx  »JB>  p3  n»Bj  >3t?>  }ni3  s]iyn  nNtDn 
nany  hoc  piavs  P^ID  nvn  vniynvs  ^33  ^y  msw  nnm  HMI 
nnx  311  IN  iriN  nnt:i|nirB'  0^21  nsrcn  TP  ^y  n»n»  nrni  ^ino  10 


nN3i  isrnn  133^6  "  :  ainae'  IDD  ^n-cn  Dipcn  ^N  «3N»  uips 
^ani  non3  i^yts^  pan^  "  oa^nntyyo  "  nbon  ".31  y  nc^ 
itryo  IHNI  nai3  iwo  "IHN  1310  3iron  mixyyo  y^3"  MicNt?  IDS  15 

ttoten  }3ip  ^3        o^DD  n^ftnn  HIVDH  ".jn 

^3  nnN  ."  ^ab  oniN  fi'3nb  nrnn  nsi  3^nn  HN  vnu  u»a^ 
".Si  pan  i»Dprn  ai  B>N  HN  nsjrsn  VT"  :3in35r  103  .mron  ^y  3^nn 
/launn  nyB'n  pipn  ^y3  n^  nnn  IT  nsiD  HM  jnanc'  ^33  n 
D"nx  '•ab  nvnb  ronv  naunni  'Vtrhon  n*  nnn  IT  TOO  JPD"  :IIOKB'  ioa  20 
IIDNI  ".nnio  n^yo  N'3»  T^IO  "  :  iioNt?  103  /reon  ITSTHB.'  D^oycn  ^3^3 
i^  ninnn^  "cb  «»3ci  fbio  j3nv  i  CN  N3N  12  rpri  i 

CN  »3n  ^no  K3iyD3  i^  puni  D^c^ntr  »oi>  inioi  n 
ninii  nsyb  *i3  N»3ci  The  ru»3n  13  »DV  i  CN  N3piy  13 


HEBREW   TRANSLATION  237 

10  b 

JWfc?n  niXlbn  ".D»jn  D'bbu  nivyb  Ha  Tirol  nbyo  niyn 

noson  abnn  nxi  ,oabn  nx  cnhv  Q'anpn  D^aan  pi  jxvn  p  nnpb  ux  invo 
tfbaan  byi  pby  "IPX  abnni  nvbam  pnpn  by  IPX  abnn  -in>i  pnpn  nx 
3"i  o^n  naTD  anpm"  :nin3B>  i»3  .natOT  by  onix  TDpnh  paan  by  mnvm 

nah?  pip  tDnity  nx  ",ai  ton  pan  n*opm  ai  nvbn  "n^  nw  5 
OKI  ;  pnpn  n^  it  in3{rn»  nboia  ^B'yDi  man  N^N  D11 
nx  nboiB  inau'no  px  .D11^^  MHB>  ^trytDi  niaa  IDHB'  nya  f 


vby  VT1  n»D  xh  nyy  pipn  bya  DXI  ",'ia^ 

".fn^y  I»D  tbv  IQ  by 
m  o^aan  oy  anpnb  us  D*IXD 

bab  ;  jotn  pi  nbo  xDna  «xvai  .nrnai  omai  mbiy 

>  «n«?  xpnn  n^yan  p^i  .o^ioam  a^n 
;  p1-  i»a  pen  p1-  pnn  n^"b^i  nbo  n-jn^y  y^  b^bi  ;  ps  ica 
"  :aina^  IM  y  i»a  pen  p*  pnn  'vm  nbo  D^n^y  n^bc'  "ish  15 
b'tfb  IN  ai  n  rvyai  noab  p^i  ai  np  anpcn  anpni  ii  nar  IK  nby  ;"b  n^s 
pi  31  pan  p  by  anpm  ii  y  pa  p  nwyn  *ai  21  ^  loab  p»i  31  6  n^yn 
.Dmpb  sbx  unarnp  no  bab  nain  D^N  n^oani  <{.ii  pnn  -"vn  noab  anpn 
nbiy  xb^N  »b  px  nbiy  6ib  obn  o^aoj  jyt:11  o^sb  aipn  ba  '•JN  »DW"  :  Ionian 

nx  K»aoi  ib^N  nx  N'ao  yo^o  nar  oib  obn  o^b^n  nx  niaib  p3»  20 

xbx  <iniDN  xb  na*m  is  ma  xbab  oib  »bn  D^NI  nxtsn 
n«an  nain  nbiy  nx  x^aci  ib^x  nx  trxio  yotro  nanaai  *n:a 

nxan  nain  nbiy  nx  x'-anb  oanyma  IN  DIN 
ntan  nain  n^Dn  ns  x^aoi  D^bana  nxan  nain  nbiy  nx 
x^  bbaa  n>n  npa  p  nar  ix  nby  ipa  p  ntryn  »ai  6ib  obn  n^baia  25 


238         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

ii  a 

maa  N2  Nins?  ip2n  p  no  i^an  i?y  n»^i 

N2n  !>2  -p 


vntJ>  IN  .nioio^  D^na  ^ya  vn  anannt?  issni  npan  ox 
naiai  "Ji  jnntr  nen  iran"  :2in3B>  i»a  ^n^  N^  /nana^  tanpn^  NIH  mso  5 

Nin  m^pi  ,nr  ^aea  vi>no  nnx  nx  mri  /nmotj'  lannsy  »» 
ni  hn^nw   tnoNty  102  /^aio  nnx  nr  ^a^a  nnaai  vnn 

.nmaa  wian^o  nnx^  ^102  lan11  noot^jB'  ijinc*  inr« 
1  noo^B'  jniB»  "  :  noNB*  loa  ^innn  IN  Dion  ^na 
"  :m  nxan  DIN  Tin^nni  ",iion^  nran  vfcn  HIDIQ  DID^  mon  10 

23  ^y  PJN  p^jyn  fV2  N^N  }pno  N^I  j^jyi  DTI  N^J  NQD  21  ON 
i»2  /i^n  pi2^»  rvcn  KWI  nanao^B*  "  N  ntryn  na*u  "  man 
nnN  p«i  n»an  pnai?  naia  ntry  nnN  IHN  m«  n^yn 


p-ipn  rrn  ON  .Ufcfc  n^^MH  nttJbH  ".ntwa  15 

DNI"  :awi3B'  i»2  ^vnnbh  i2ipn  nra  iniN  ^2N^  Nin  mxo  TW  IN  na*u 
ny"  I»N  N^I  "601  i>3K»  inar  HN  nnpn  ova"  "I»NB>  ji»a  ",ai  nan:  IN  ma 

jiB'Nnn  Di»n  icrm  iniN  ^3N^  inio  /min  pnpa 
loa  .Ninn  npsn  nn«B»  nb^a  N^I  /p  nnNB>  np32i  ^ 

n»nar  THN  nvb  ^3N3  D^nar  Nin  pn  *vrbv  IIN^  b^  ^3»"  :noNB»  20 

nb^   1HN    DT1!?    pbaN3n   DT.3T 

Nin  DV  iy  DV  iy  6ii> 

mm  pip  anpon  .ijaa  nn^yn  mxan 

Wii  iDB'a  nih^2  nivo  n^n  vby 
ni!?ni 


HEBREW    TRANSLATION  239 

lib 

J1  p>  yon  Dnf?  nibn  by  ai  ip»  mm  by  nx  "  :  ainat?  wa  ,yon  onb 
nivo  mbn  nant?  ^a'on  in11!  nvmtry  n-iK>y  yonn  nnb 
nnb  nibn  by  "  :  I-IOXK>  102  ,D<anpy  mt?y  ,31  naano  nboi  ai  nwo  VP"ii 
mtry  nwo  SJN  nianpy  m^y  yon  no  m»  N-an  yon  12:2  yon 

.nno  nns  bo  nn^y  m^y  —  ow»m  ni^nni  "fnwn»y  5 
i  pip  bo  nriN  i3oo  nnpm"  :IDWB>  no  n 

«wm  ,niB>yo  nnx  p^n  i:n^  man  ynoiin 
nonn  p  noxj  p  ynn  noa  ynv  "J^N  «^>  nonn"  :noxt?  103  /ya 
nnx  -IT  «]x  nit^yo  nnx  n^yon  nonn  no  nt^yon  nonna  nonn 
nar  by  nnpm  bib  obn  nns  pip  K^N  oba  in11  xb"  :noxi  ",n-i^yo  10 

nonb  Kso3  ^  nonn  pip  bao  nns  woo  anpm  DINI  minn 
p-iirn  jnab  WB>  pab  jniii  yans  jno  bow  nibn  D^yanx  mm  bt? 
aib  •'xn  jot^n  nno^  ".D^yab  baxi  ix^ni  nw  ib  tvzb&n  m  nx 
»nb  p  riTani  mini?  jo^  :b  ••vn"  moKty  loa  p^ioam  n^on  wrw 
nivon  iB'y  b^  linisa  obw         "/3»DO  ntwb  nabn  mjb  mj  pat?  DV  15 


mm  pip  nair 

/ino*TO'  w  nnno  b^  npan  nnno  ny  nean  jo  Tninb  Tian1  *b 
mm  nar  nt^ai  "  :  yirav  loa  ^nnno  b^ai  mix  ianpn  ova  i^ax11  bax 
nbapa  bax  ;nWn  b{y  njinnxn  ftiwmn  —  "ipa  ly  uoo  ivy  xb"  ^  imti®  niiai  ",ii  20 
xin  baix  "  :  noxiy  103  ,nivn  nnx  m^axa  a^anb 
;o  mxn  nx  p»nnnb  na  nivn  ny  oan  nox  nob  p  DX  n 

a-ub  IIDX  .uaa  n»isrn  nixan  " 

ix  nba1"  nbya  ix  nvnn  ix  miaty  ix  nniy  rurre>  nona 


12  a 

xb  ns^  ix  ana  ix  ni>a<  ix  pin  ix  nia^  ix  n-ny"  jamat^  loa  /JB^  ix  ana 
103  /ro-'yo  nnxa  nxoioi  n^y  mc'a  nxoio  ibbaa  "nniy"  nboa   "."b  x  pn 

pa"  : 


240  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 


pan     ni  T  -\iv      n  "nn^"m  ".vryo  nns2  NDion  p2i  va^ 

N^"N  ^  PN  ^n  "at?  IN  T  n3B>  nowty  "a^  6-6  6^n  no  -rat?"  :noKt?  IDS 
"pin"  naisi  ".-OK>  is  6i^>  o^n  MM  -DP  nunb  pao  ^n  IN  W  5 

2pi^  py  ^  pin  "  :  nox^  1»3  flnox  DJQ3ty  npa^  py  on 

nswaB'  i^N3  ni^n11  "n^  i^  wv  »o  "ni>3»"  pajn  ".pnoj^  \s*  0:33^  IN 

•IT  ma"  mow?  102  ^  sna  "3-13"  pajn  ".n^3M  ^yn  nr"  :n»N^  102  /na 

n»nn  ir  na^"  niOKB'  i»a  ^3*  ana  Ntn^  ntnai  yn»nn  IT  "na^"i  ".oinn 

mon33  wsoa  nxi  ^nsn  nwo  nvpo  on  bi^3ni  pni  ".nnvon  10 
pi  DiN3  N3»na  nH  n^  sn"  :no«B'  102  yjnw  on  D^DIS 
rhy  IONJ  N^  DiN2  warn  mro  »a^  f|^D  nems  Nn^n 
nt3  niDNn  JINI  nr^  nt3  nicsn  ns%  pr^  pao  ^ibs 
ia-»M3B'  no  b  -nnai  ",nw  mra^  na^>  na^  313  3ia  61^  obn 

new  n^B'n  naon  yioipr:3  onnt*  n^^y  niyi  nwrn  niv»3  15 
nons  2^pn^  nios  Oitott  JVJWPTI  Wtfam  HlVton 

"  :3inaB>  103  yia!ni«3  nra  nan  nvj^l  ^nnai  npmai  nninai  nsiyo 
nn^3  ne^rw  nayona^  nions  "Tiy»"  pay  ",ai  ai  niroi 
i2yo:i  DD  }n^y  IDW  IN  w>3  ipnine'  ns  "mro"  naiai 
nvpo  msap  —  "nro"i  tvsnvQ  n»a  msa^  —  "pina"i  20 
6w  »DV  n  mw  n  nsn  0^33  }^3  nnai  pinai  mnai  ^yoi"  :nD«8?  IDS 
nrn  payn  niN3  nx  D^ai  ".Tan  nnai  pinai  D»s*33  nmai  "jiyo 
IDS  .onnx  o«n  te^i  DiN'i5  nrn  1212  niB>j6  nioxi  .nwi  nao3  i^  nonni 
ii?  o^n  pao  v\w  n*n  ncn2  N^N  »!> 

onoon  " 


12  b 

p3i  D^na  p3  maiyn  nxi  n^nn  nxi  nornn  nxi  DTKH  n« 
nx  3^n  onsM  nx  Dioen  DIN  n-nn»  n  2^  nr  nn  nnpa  p2i  Q^TST  p3 
i  snio  px  oa  n^3a  "D2V-1N31"  n^»2i  ".iioa  nnpan 
ai  6  JV2N1  '•ay  n>2K>  p^yn  N^>"  "Ji  Tiv^  ^22  ^  fnn 


" 


HEBREW    TRANSLATION  24! 

Nb  6ib  tbbn  pan  pNb  nsina  pNa  Nb'N  »b  PN"  :noNB>  103  ,onb  nonm  5 
".wan  p  nan  oaai  »ib  obn  msn  SIN  pa»  DnNK>  DIPD  ba 

N^anb  iab  niDN        .ujba  nwm  jwann  ni*&n 

",ai  ba  lioi  nair  pnN  N'an  Nb"  :ain:ic>  »a  pb  THW  naw  pnno  pnp 
}anx  nr  nn  TiaB'a  nr  1^  KH  nair^  noisn  janx  Nin  HT^N  "  :  u»nw  nosi 
mnyn  ba  jans  nair  jans  N^N  ^  ps"  :now  ".DniD«  ob  n«o  I^SKI  10 

p  oa  xin  fanxn  JBIW  ".mpo  bao  nair  pn«  «»an  N^  06  6^n  pao 
niN  ^ap--  Nim  I^K  p^nt?  naB'a  nnaa'  ^  wv  nan^  ms  IDO<IB'  nona 
DIN  m  nay  ^>VN  "innDfc?  p^ni  nr  nbo  nb  Nn  narfc  n»iNn  "  :  HONK'  ica 
.ab  nnn  nijapnjB'  nona  maia  aba  n^noi  ".n«  6i«  bam  anN 


en  15 

Nin  nPN"  :noNB'  ioa  ^baa  aban  rhy  N^  naon  IDNH 
pi  nr  a^a  nnn  nr  n^o  ^b  Nn  nanb  noiNn  aba  Tno 
PIIDN  aba  naaat^  abai  rwtm  boia  THNI  mtw  btaia  nnN  ipbnB' 
N^ani  ynsTn  nw»n  nan  nB'yK'  »DI  ".pinio  aba  nyen 
pan  lan"  :incN5?  ioa  yib  nni»  xnair  Tncn  aba  pnN  nnan*  «b  20 

nnbii  ".nyanN  Nbi  D^a^  as?  pnnio  on-'aB'  nair  Tnoi  aba 
pnnio  in-'mnbi"  :in»N^  i»a  ,pnpb  ninnio  aba  n^no  ninbii  pnN.n 
;nna  bab  T"^  *  rpa  niNaa  now  ".fiTninbi  xbi  orrw  oa  y& 
rvrw  epyn  nN  N^anb  nna  bab  n^ab  nNa  na^NB'  nNtan  nna 
jn>by  pbn  aba  n»noi  )anN  PN  jna  boia  mont?'  pcnpion  n»i  pna  35 


13  a 

obn  pby  pbn  aba  n^noi  pnN  N.T  Nbt^  pn  ia^N  ia  boia  mon 

.WaO  IVy^n  ni>C2:n          ".^yn  nN  N^anb  nna  bab  oib 
nrn  nann  npya  DNI  ,nnnN  nonan  anpnb  naaint?  nona  n^onbi  ^bnnb  niDN 
nnan  bsr  nbin  nN  ^bnn  DN  ".ai  nN  Hs»  Nbi  laa^bm  Nb"  jainatr  i»a  /'b  |.Tne>  na^nn 
ioa  ^np  nnnion  mnn  xb  nnionn  nN  spbnn  DN  pi  ;  enp  inmon  .T.nn  Nb  5 


242  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

—  "yia  aiu"  ".niion  ptny  niion  K^I  n^in  j&  niion  neny  cnpn" 

•6yai  poio  ^yaa  p^on"  :IIONB>  102  ^ona  010  ^ya  ^rvw  ->a  i>y  *|« 

loa  ,«nwn  ntj'Nn  r,x  DJ  niai^  ainan  n:tf  —  "lo11  ion  DKI"  ".po^ona  poio 


.t^ivn  ns  nmb  no*  ion  DNI  nt^xn  ns  nian^  no11  ion  DKI"  t 
mona  PINO  ix  /.i.nn  nxoa  nns  nona  sfirp  N^  "nonaa  nona"  pjjn  10 
nxa  nxoi  nxoa  nns%  "  :  HDNB'  102  /mant?  pai  naint?  pa  nnx  nonaa 
r  102  ,nona  p  DJ  nns^i  7nona  nann  o«ona  a«n  ^yab  Niip  nayntr 


nona  nwip  nnx  nona  b  nox  nionaa  nona  N!?  nonaa  nona  OIK  pyo^  i" 


"enp  n»n»"  pjyi  ".nona  msnp  man  nionai 
m2fibn       "nwa  aaw  n^yi?  ^np  n*n*  "  :  noN^  102  paw  pai  nno  pa  15 

^on  oipob  pro  ^N^>  wi>  IIDN        ,13ttb 
i>3in  «i>"  jairot?  102  .monnni  nm:m  D^nam  npam  jxvn  nniaai 

nniaan  nxi  ^w  naoa  nwa  nn^yon  DN  "Ji 
noi  mn  ;ora  tirfxnfo  paat^  omam  .ntry  nya-iNn  naoa  T 

no  nab  ^wxnn  nsoa  nn^ns  inarn  naa  jartwib  paa  20 
wnm  noN  "7T  nonni"  nanai  .nr  nnx  waw  noa 
naot?  i?^3n  ptwin  p^nn  ^  lanwa  D^a  .ptwjn  naoa  nr 
jann  p  D"Naion  nmnpn  nana  nivo  yat^  ^ia    *JB7 

jm  ;mn  }ora  jni^yi?  nain 


13  b 

.npyn  N^  nivo  "n^  ^ia  ytwii  n^  nivo 
nnao  pip  «*a,ii>  ananon  .ijaa  nil^Nin  niva 

i>N  nnis  N^a^i   ;nmai>  n^y  D^h  JOB*  n^y  npxfc  mxo 

.nnaia^  ^a  oy  naoc'oi  nn^oo  ivop  N^D  moo  popi  jnan 
anpn  »a  ^a:i "  :  aina^  loa  /»!>  nsi»i  bapno  pip  ^aron  ^y  nnix  i^opni  5 
nrn  pipa  nninan  mon  ".ji  o^anan  finw  *aa  ^x  n^ani  ai  nnao  pip 
ica  ^aioan  p  jctyae'  ninan  bpnam  ;  o^ioan  ic'ji 


HEBREW   TRANSLATION  243 

ni  ".JOB*  ai>i  jnpyo  nine*  Ni?tt>  nmo  3*unon  ^  3N  paa  OIN  jna  V 
n^moni  nanoni  nbon  nn3o  "  :  jn  B'3<o  mpy  /TO  popi>  a*anw 
Nuinn  nmoi  noiyn  nrooi  a^tw  nmoi  ana  nmoi  a^pim  mbnrn  10 

»ana  h?  Noin  nrao  6is  pyoB>  n  niwp  nrooi 
am  nsrcp  "nyssn  ".josy^  pmp  an^ni  i»vya  anp 
;epa  jp^rn*  K^I  tjan  ta  y*a»  itw  ny  ^avsni  H««n  }»  pn  in^  ^an 


i?  ON"  :noNB'  i»a  /^y  BJ^DV  N^  ivtsp  sta  nnno  pa 


ir  mrop  v  nir  ir  iTa»nw  Ntma^N  '•vopna  psoip  n»*Na  15 

13  N1t31T  31  »X  T»3y  N3V1  IW^n^  N^N  hlJ  IT  V3VN  IT    nDN 

^n  >oa  N'an  PDIPI  n*  DS  ^y  niynvN  ^ty  nsin  an  ON  rraio 
btt*  ivopa  IN  ixop3  61^5  o^n  j^ino  ivop  N^D  fo  ivop 
HN  nain  WM  xn  ixop  N^O  oib  o^n  vmyasN  "K'Nia 
:n»N  niyi  ".nooh  nijyo^o  vniyaxxa  pmo  riBTnoai  nanna  n*  DS  20 
-iom  piao  i«DipB>  nw  Nin  np«  hoa  TDnni  Tmn  poipn" 


niso  n^n  N^an^  mxo  nun  nssoo  nruo  ianp  an3non 
anpn  '•ai  "  :  ainac'  loa  /osw  a^nicyo  nivo  ^""pi  IN  pea  ni^iba 


14  a 

n  ii?  E>^  "31  B>3  mb^a  mxo  ni^n"  vnan  rma  "J)  n  HSNO  nnao  pnp 
pao  min>  i  ON  "  :  noNB>  103  ,B*ppn  N^3o  nn  ynibn  N^ao  nvn  /no-ib 
janp  61!?  6^>n  B'ppn  nsroi  ni^n  nvno  N^  N^  HSNO  nnao  ^y  nn 
now  »ai  jiyoc'  -i  ON  awn  nt^n  N^O  p«i  N*ao  Nin  nnN  pip 
ia  -lONai  nnN  pip  N^N  noN3  N^  vbm  a^oys  ^3^  pip  pip  5 
nvnoi  mbn  .-rano  N^  o^pn  N^  ni^n  N'3ni>  nsn  a^pv'ii 
n*a  n^y  N^I  pop  BNI  on^BTD  poipi  i>ha  poip  Nintrai  «»a» 

nraopa  ninso  I^N"  :noN  niyi  ",vn  an^{yo  inN 
^n  ba  NSS  an  ON  "  :  IIONI  ",ai  n^mom  nanoni  nfon  nn3o  a»an 


244  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

mi>n  mtno  ONI  pyot?  nno  'piax^  f?  yot?o  Np  »KDI  jan  npy  jam  10 
,0'p'p-in  nx  12  DTranop  JOBTI  -nyan  ".sin  £  yot?o  xp  K' 
Ka  "   :  noKt?  ioa  ,hay  ^sna  ono 
JDOT  nxen  *a  poa  n^p^pin  ^a  ^a  ncnio  6is 
JDB>  ab  N^D  pp'pi  nxnoi  n^n  nvn»  nua  nmie'  nnao 
pp'pnn  ns  nsjno  DIK  }iyDtr  n  pp^pn^  mrnoi  ni^n^»  mrno  fni3  15 
nnao  ^p^pn  rbix  pj»a>  n  n»n  pi  nbrb  jnu  pt^n  nxcn  ^a  poa 
noiB^  DH»  a^  'vn  j^rDpi'  pa  o^w  sn^  na  trnnaa,  jnn^na 
DIK  pyot?  T  PP?i^  nvnoi  n^n^  rwno  jnia  mini?  JD*^  a^ 
fai  o»anai>  ^axa  p^n  iscn  ^a  }UDa  pp"pnn  HK 

i?n  nxno  x*ao  naKO  nna»  ^y  nn  6isn  ao 
an  »N  ^a  poa  "ND"  ".«y  nan  ^y  poo  jna  OKI  yxoNn  jo  ^oiai 

w^m  ni^Dn  K.W  ^a  poa 

nso  n^o  K»ani>  mxo  nanon  ^y  nnao  janp  manon 
103  ,{BB>  n^y  p^i  o^na  nnw  nbj  na  inx  .p^a  nhb 

nanon  i>y  nnao 

14  b 

nano"  nawan  nan  niyp  N^n  nanoB>  nnainm  "ji  nniM  nina  ai  np 
nnao "   : noKtr  loa  .ma  miy^  —  "a  nnx  nina "  ".ca^p  rvtpyoi  nav 
^aip  o-'ana  nnao  i^naoi  ngywb  D^acn  D^  nnx  ^>aip 
nM  K!J  n*tyo  pa  nmo  ^nao  ia*Ki  rgD*t6  D-OBM  o^a 
nn»na  pa  p«  n^t^o  jna  nnaoi  D^ana  nnao  cis  pyoB>  i  n^aao  5 

D^ai  nn^na  pa  ps  rcrop  pa  pstr  bai  nvop  pa  PKS?  »aao 
na  cix  D^anTa  mnao  anpoi  noiy  n»n  x^an  "  :  now  ".D'nnaa  jnn^na 
pn^na  f?y\  jam  psn  ;o  on^  «»»on  oix  £at6  j^oa  ai  lao^pi 
^aan  onto  nnSn  --ntw  pn  nimon  yo  ba  c^nniai  ".D^n^raa 
n^aan  anh  on^n  Hn^  PI«  bia11  DTiai?  ninaon  i>a  man!?  nnao"  mow?  loa  ro 
nh  ninaon  ba  nx  man!?  n<ao  no  nnx  oii?  o 


HEBREW   TRANSLATION  245 


onn  &*v  pnvo  ix  no  B»»D  ainan  nana?  nnx  o^an 
".D^N^  DHD  PNC*  o^an  or6i  nn!>n  TIP 
pip  a-unon  .u&D  JV^mn  niMbn 

nspnio  nrao  OKI"  :ainat?  i»a  jotsn  ni>Do  iniN  nipyb  mxo  ns?moa,  15 

»  pa  no  "  :  onnan  p:o  sb  N»n  n^moe'  .TX-IH  ".« 
p  nyan  -i  ^:n  ^DI^  n  nan  ^ID^D  rb  p«  nanoi  ^o^a  n^  ^> 
",D»K9  n^yoi  nsv  nanro  tpvnn  n^yoi  npioy  ntrnijo  OIK 
.mmpn  ns  n^o^  UN  D^XO       ,13Dlb   n^^nn  HlXlbn 

pip  bi" 
aipn  p^nn  N^N  jirfab  niraon  ba  D^aio  n^M  mm  p«  ".31  6n  n^»a  inruo  20 

i?a  nnao  »nn  ha*  "   :  noKB>  ioa  /nhr  xb  .naron  b 
"  viani  ".n^o  miyo  nmon  i?a  pw  n^o  pyo  j*oipn  pip 
nann  ^y  IKW  wnss'  Di{r»  ^ay  VTana^  ni?o  tn^y  "r^D 


15  a 


a11  n^ono  NXD  N?  ON  paoi  n^ono  IT  irxi  nnait? 
^  —  "  oft  imp  b  by  "  pjy  ".nan  ni>o  anpn  01^  b 
njrro  n^»n  n^oipo  rwhra  «^n"  :nos^  ioa  x 
nmy  pnho  DW  n^on  na^a  nara  ^  i^xnai  ^aan  »aa  ^jn 
naro  ta  wxiai  nnasn  ns  pnho  ns^  j^aan  ^a3  bjn  D^IP  5 
nm»i  n^»  jna  nruoi  D":na  nmoi  mia^m  poipn  pnho 
103  pawn  nx  »:B>  ^y  Kin  n^oan  nann  nn^o  jaw  ".Piiyn  n^yi 

inm  n^o  vby  \rv\y\  naxn  nx  K*ao  neny  Kin  ivrxa  pan  un" 
inwa  D^J  ".»^  pi  ^3K  o«  ir6yel  n^»  vi?y  \r\\s\ 

xS  nwo  pn^  nw/bn 

IN  IINB>  anpn^  IIDK 
Kin  ,-IPN  "  :  noKB>  i»a     an  nonb  o^Niip  vn 


246        HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


pip"  vim  wm    s    ^on    IKS  nainnB>  mavB»  nei  ".anon  pai  nr 

npn^  piv  N^  jvai  ;  oniaaa  ISID  nn  ",!>  K  ianpn 
joao  px "   :  IIDNB>  iDa  ,Ban  i6  ion  nrtr  iaiD^  ,Ban  15 
ID  NXIM  N^N  narDn  ^aa  i>y  pa'npD  PNI  a^aayn  JDI  o^nnn  JD  svvn 
pipn  nana  -6i?n  onann  ^J^D  nyo  anyn:  OKI  ",a»aayn  JDI  o^nnn 
ba  Dii?  bi>n  PJD  eyicon  naion  N^N  ^  ps  "  :  no«B>  iDa  /anpni? 
si3  B'an  *IN^  ba  *a  DI^  D^n  p3D  pany  iosy  Kin  N^S  ^ 
Kin  t6»K  ^  PK  tran  &b  $n  P:D  oyiDDn  naion  «^«  ^  ps  20 
131b£)  H^^n  niXftn  u.^ai  bi  oib  D^n  pao  pany 

u  li'ynj^  lana  fins  'uaa  aiynn^  jinx  ^an  irN^  irb  IIDN 
mow  HD^  na^N  aip^  N^  in  "  :  wrnai  now  ".oa^N  aip1-  N^  in  "  :  ainaB'  i»a 


15  b 

^  mntK  wyD^  ^Jiy  nov  aipn  irm  OIK 
nivnn  yat?  ^ian  y^n  p^nn  ^  1:111x3  obw  ".oa^K  aip1'  N^  in 
iaia  mvD  niB>y  nns  fe  V^m 
'Kin  iD^^n  tjt^  nipbm  jni  :nra 
ni  ;nj?yn  si?  nivo  e^en  nt^y  ni¥D  po  B^DH  ynM  jora  frwyi?  nain  u^y  5 
.DipDi  IDT  baa  pvwk  nsinc'  nsw  nixo 


DVD  ^,T, 

^pea  5]Da  ^p^  o^syon  ,nw  tw&  b  TIN^D  DV  ny 
ntrx  nn\i  nnwn  OKI  ",:i  in  ^iy  mm  Ji  na  $h&  '•a  ^N  "  :  ainat?  iDa  7 
iDa  ^PB>  o^B'  /•UB'  D*tw  ni?  nsi?D  DV  iy  n3B>  onsw  n^  IN^>DB>  DVD  ynaiy  mm  10 
mm  iaiy  xnbyDi  r\w  vwy  ja  mn  ni:n  tr^n  DNI  ".Ji  KM  napj  DKI"  j 
PD  DKI  "  :  airat?  ioa  p^p^  mtw  ^ae*  D'tytr  na  n^sni  ;  ^p^  i&>y 

na'Dn  .D^sr  B>DH  iyi  D^D11  B>in  i^  IK^DB*  DVD  man 
p  iyi  B'ln  PD  DM  "  :  ainaB'  ica  pbyv  twhw  —  napa  nnM  DNI  .t 


HEBREW    TRANSLATION  247 


nyi  D*JB>  &>on      ixoe>  DVD  /irun  -pyi  ",ji  D'JB>  B>on  15 
po  DXI  "  :  ain3K>  102  ,D^P{?  mtpy  —  nap:  nrvn  OKI  .spa  ^pe> 
nni>  jnan  wia11  ,wnyo  T.O  /io£a  /jy  mun  nm  OKI  "ji  v  onpy  p  nyi 
:  moix  nifc^oni  ".ii  -p-iyo  xin  -jo  DNI  "  :  nina^  i»a  /T  re>n  nt^K  »aa 
DHMI  nn:  ^n^i  D»^  o^na  pm^i  p-nwi  panyai  panyo  i>an" 
panya  xi?  ^a«  panyoi  pmai  |mw  oumaNi  DIDOID  Qnajn  20 
P-ITJ  jDpi  now  t^nn  *n^ni  napji  *vev\  nar  N^N  nnyj  uw 
po  nins  nyi  jna  p«B>  ^ao  panyo  N^  pvm  K^  bx  pany:i 


y\  narn 


16  a 

IDN  Tian11  «cr  DWD  «m  "inyj  N^  ^as  ITJ  tnn  po  mna" 
<i»  *on  ins  io«  DN  .Tiy^  mj  pa  D^nan  v»\  "ji  ann  po  DM" 

nayn  jn  1*3  iay^  K'11^  nirvn  ""sa  oawn  wany* 


/au  b  *on  nn^  a^n  ,-naa  IK  /swn  ix  /a^  poib  ^^NIH  s 
noa  ins  poty  ^y  n»  »oi  "  :  now?  loa  ^no  nnx  ^aa  »^n  law  DVpB>  DIB^D 
-JEK  xi?  ^y  ^n  Tiyi  'T  Tiy"  u.n^  xba  nw  Kin  noai  n*a  nitr  xin 
'jnB'  nan  b  ^an  nr  iba  Tiy  jnu  ^y  naa  i"iyi  ^NI  nny 
^na  Nvvai  0^1^  B'on  p  IN  vnn  p  ma  DM  ".ta  ^^y  fnw  ia 
po  runs  lanyn"  •inoKty  toa  ,TIM  nya  nnan  niae'  *a!>  N!>N  a^n  irx  10 

p  ^y  in11  n^y:i  oniw  po  mna  B'on  p  ^y  iiv  na'yji  tj^n 
"  moat?  ioa  xnra  o^  ^y  *any  ^vn  nos  DKI  ",Tiyn  pra  }nu 
nox  nw  ,-ib  nny  n^  am  ^y  «m  iny  not?  DX  ^ax  "jiaiy  vn  jnu  ^y 
103  xib  *OT  D^  yn  ^y  ^n  *on  nox  DX  bx  ;  i*on  »vn  nni>  am  s!?y  ^on 
nr  ib  ^01  jnw  ^y  «xn  w  von  nrn  jn«  ^y  >on  ^vn  ib  Tiy  jnw  ^y  «vn  Tiy"  15 
nine  lanya  jni3  irx  yyn  D:I  ",ib  *on  jnw  ia  n»^n  notMnp  nan 


248         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


•p  into  ybon  nina  VT3  rrn  OKI  .ota  spoio  u\x  I'^yn  OKI 
uw  sh  y^D»  rnna  paiya-pK"  mow?  ioa  /vpy  "py  nnb  a^n 

jnu  iwn  yi?DD  nina  m^a  jnu  px  i»»ym  y^o  jru  ivrss 
rbarn  nnx  N^N  jni3  ps  6i«  TKO  n  D^D  n  VT3  vn  y^o  D' 


mn  ONI  .inyii  inaita  ^s    jnan 
i»3  ^n  ^on  pan  isnyn  "it^*N  ns  D^  inis 
:nrn  pjyn  nwaancK  w»nmi  ".:i  ^w  t^npon  DW  21 


i6b 

nx  i?Ny  impon  DNI  DIM  xinK>3  naTO  ainan  mn 
HN  ^w»  t^npcn  DNI"  :n»Ni  ".-IIDN  mn  n^a  nn  irra 
i^Jbn       ".^nvn  ns  nnii?  bsa^  ^w  DW  ntwn  nx 
rnso  /     pip  HMD  nnp*  N^  IB«  HNDD  ncna  ^  ii3B>  B^N  ^3 

OKI  .nnjni  nnaio  ^  nnix  "piym  jnan  "jai?  nnis  n-oyn^  5 

nona  b  DNI  "  :  ains^  1D3  /iaiy  i?y  t?cn  «j*w»  nnneb  B>npon  nvi 

rwcB  nona"  inana  "Ji  w^w  ^w  DNI  ii  N  jnan  fiym  ai  nscu 

103  /floa  anpr6  niDNB'  DID  rbyzb  N^N  niDnaaB>  nNoci?  pano  irs 

ya  mai  nNBD  nonaa  OKI  ois  Nin^a  iano  avian  HKDD  nonaa  bia»" 

o^enpion  ^1033  N^N  i3nc  WK  sn  HTIDN  nsoo  nona  10 
pip  «DD  ianp»  N^  i^s  6ib  D^n  i3iy  DIO  i>y  na-  ^ia» 
".nnai  nx  nmi?  nsoo  :inoi>  1^3  Nin^  i3iy  me  ^ya 
panyn  PNI  p^npo  }^x  x^n "  :  D»oim  n^3ijn  enpn  1313  wnai 
nna  ipyn  nona  D>inn  -piyn  i^npn  mn  pra  ponno  PNI 
sin  npN  nbcn  n^  7^1*  niano  ^ai  rnyo  iapT  o^ai  moa  15 

in  niVttn       ".n>^o  nnoi  n^aa  nh  i»jn 
/in  n^nn  npoaji  ^nn  «b»  IN  .Dxna  no  v^y  nce>  n>» 
ova  Ns3nh  mine  DV  Ninc>  ^at^n  ova  ^NI  nx  nb 


HEBREW    TRANSLATION  249 

.lyio  ^>nN  nna  ta  jnan  i>N  mv  "oa  ^p  IN  nnin  TIP 
.nnn  b-asa  NDn  IK^N»  v^y  naai  nhyb  inNi  nNtsni?  nno  nnN  ao 
viap  p  u'33  N'Q'i  nrai?  3i{^>  -ja  nnN  .Ninn  ov3  IK^NI  HN 
map  jorn  }»  i^a11  /N»D3P  mip  nr3D  nsyp  D^o^ni 

"ai"  man  ri3ia  "Ji  <io<i  HN  <^  -prni  31  jnan  npjn  31 


17  a 

IK  joxr  rfn  sinp  nyn  nxna  noi  nhn  DB>  n\np  Dipm  -ron 
D  inyjD  nrnty  pai  aaw  T»H  JTHP  pa  yynQ3  noi  «na 
nsns  ynsa  n»n  ^yi  vby  n-an  bs>w  nniij  mo»  ^1 "  :  no«p 
ns  tranb  DNHB  DWKH  nx  «»an^  ynan  "  :  niyi  ".  p-nsa  i»y 

".DUX  nr  DNna  aaw  nr  ynsa  DIN  |JW  n  n»tw«»  n  nan  MWH  5 
nnx  .non  JD  NODJ^  nnN  *jrapn  ova  —  "irnnD  ova  itrxn  nbi" 
ova  ia  Nanjv  Nin  "  :  aina^  ioa  /nan  iaN»  T3^3  wi  »B^W3  v^y  nnnb 
ni>3Di  ^jrapai  V^IQ  nto  iTn  nvrso  nsoo  nnbn"  :w»nm  now 

31  DV3  13  Vnmip  N^3D  H3  ^3  DN1   113  VJimnp  N^3»1  ^y^3P3 

n^n  innnta  nrp  ib  D«  yiixfoi?  nr  p3  no  jianta  n  £  ON  sa^py  n  10 
a~>y»  n»n  p  DN  N^N  vni33ip  nN  N^D  U^N  mn 

DV3  IN  n3B>3  nvni?  ibp  '•yatjvi  nv 
PN  *y»3Ba  inxtn  DV3 
N^N  ^  PN  wn^a*  oib  ol>n  pao  n^b  ova  N^N  ^  PN 

note  p*o  uni>a»  61^  o^n  p3»  nnno  nn^an  HKDD  nni?3n  15 
nbia  na  nnNi  Nun  DSI  N'3D  la  IHNI 
n-nan— u  31  n 

"  .nrn 
;nan  ^N  ix^tr  ny  jnN3n  ^12^3  3«n  Nin 

nN  nna  ^N  20 


250         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

irxa  'ai  BIX  napn  nrybx  V  :no«B'  103  ,n»  nxoao  'ixna  inn  x 
ie>33  nyxon  as  nci  i"p  onan  xbm  p\n  p  icxy  njrxB*  maa  "pXB*  nf  ^^n  t 

noim  bp  maa  Tnx  j«n  ID 
3&>  nan»  nan  seta  nnaa  61  x  bxyw  n  nan  ba  JD  itraj 

nx  enpi"    ".D^nDi?  sota^DB'  in  ^y  NUH  ntyso  v^y  nsai 


17  b 

ovo  nvni?  nans  nn  '•o^  n^nn  —  "nra  »o»  ns  «b  nnm  sinn  ova 
nuo^  ^nnoB'  nnob  UKXO:"  :noKB'  ica  /jrajyn  ovn  /iota 
o^ni"  :nesB'  ica  /nra  ^D  nx^j  niy  DN  —  "b&  a^i^sin  D^m" 
nwo  nnJ  ^nn  IDK  DXB'  pj»  i?an  nx  nmo  D^nnx  b  B^  ^o  ai  ^ss 

D»3iB»«nn  D»o»m  61^  o^n  ban  nx  nnio  nnx  ion  nxD  Di*a  xot33  DV  5 
/nwno  naye*  D»OM  itnD>  xb  jsan  JD  xvvn  nan  bax  nxi  "ji  iba1 
^^nn  niX&n       ,xia^  n»a  nxa^  i»a  npb»  bax 
nna  bx  D»DM  nxta  ova  x'-anb  m»o  nn  ^  ixboe'  n»T3  ba 
^on  injtr  ja  B'aa  ;  jm  y|NX  B^B'  iyio  bnx 
narb  n^on  b»«i  nbiyb  no»cn  nnae*  na  n^aai  10 
mxo  »p»pi  0:1  pB»a  mhba  nixo 
nxi  .iniy  nxi  inxun  nx  nB»xr^  ^  ^sh  Dnix  anp11  pam  . 
13D3  nxi  inmD  nx  neTT  na  "inx  .nwon  bo  by  «b  Q^B*  nar 
tybrm  inpbi  itrxn  nya*  nx  nyio  bnx  nna  bvx  Tnn  nbai  .onx 

p  nbtj'a  jnrn  nx  pan  npbi  .ma^Bfi  nar  nnn  ncrx  t^xn  by  15 
nba^  nnx  inan  »ea  by  onix  jnai  ibc»  nvo  VPII  nv»  nbm  b^xn 
nawnn  nrn  oy  jnab  B»np  vn»i  ^  nab  naun  nmx  ejnm  nyB»  nx 
ova  Tnn  nnin  nxr"  :ainaB>  i»a  ,;«  -vnn  nne«  nnxi  /nonnn 
ai  "  ^ab  anpni  31  nixo  boi  31  *fy  wanp  nx  anpni  31 
nai3n  jnan  nnx  ppam  31  }nan  npbi  31  nna  nnan  nb3i  ai  nt^y  b'xn  nxi  20 
pivp  pr  nnb  ww  ns  noib  nsn  "nn  »o»  nxbo  nva"  maia  ",31  b 
ix  mno  pnpb  obiy  nna  nnxi  D»D»  nna  nnx"  :n»xt?  i»a  ,nbiy  nna  xb 


HEBREW    TRANSLATION  251 

i8a 

'<mon  N^>  nra  ns»  nxta  m>3  6£  6^n  SWOB  pip 


roworn  ".n&>y  nt?y  nixa  pp  nnnani  mm  nin"  :nostj>  1x3  /itpy  -\vy  }n 
ovp  H3  ppa  D'nismn  inns  ha*  B>D  so  »p»pm  "  :  ncKB>  1102  ^«y  »xra 

PDS  .n  ^y  nnxi  n  ^y  nnx  jnui  lynvsn  ^niD  neny  wn  ismo  JOB'  5 
oyo  nys^n  ^N  p^nDtr  nos  —  "  BWI  ^y  jnai  nn  nyt^  nx  np^i  "  "/a 
aonn  nx  bou  na  insi  «»an  "  :  now  103  ^NH  !>y  7^1  lean 
nnn  nnn  n^  DNI  D^D^  ^  inn  nx  n^troi  nw  B'XI  w  i>y 
".rnnn  nw  mro  ons^n  nar  nnn  n^x  xnp  6s  ji?  5o  nmn  N^  nson  ^ 

i»a  pvi  nx  ^3  *ai53  yayj^  in^is  —  "  «  ^eh  nsi:n  jron  nnx  n^m  "  10 
"  MICK  Tiyi  ".Dim  nt^Ni  spin  nt^x  JB>  TII»I  n^yo  N»noi  7^0"   t 


n3piy  n 

ns  TTIOI  ni>yo  niyn  ninn 


15 

^  ny  niroa  wn  nn  ^  »JE&  Nas?  oipo 
.n^yo^  narr^  nwon  t^sn  ^  1311^3 
pai  ni»  pa  jsan  ^aayo  nan  i>a«i>  n»»b  b  niox    .pa 
pn  |xnn  ^vh  0:1  ^ojn  naen  p  ^ai  ^en  p  paa  ,nn»  nryan  nan 
ii  nn^  N^a>  ••a  n^K  IN  B^N  nta  OKI  ^Nn^  ^aa  ^N  nan  "   :  ama^  ioa 
no3.n  ejow  n^ni?  nsaay  vnanSi  ".«  5  ^o^  b  ai  TT»  naen  ^ 
noan  nx  N'ar6  o»nb  "  :  noKB*  i»3  jsan  p 


i8b 

jaan  w  hy  *nn>3  ^aia  JSJB'  owo  ,Dnai  fsa  n^?»  pa  i?nan 


njn  B^nao  nya^i"  :3inaB>  ^»3  /J»T  »sy  na         nnai  . 
«i?  N»no  np^s  nn  nns  NSQ  an  OK  "  j  irnrn  now  ".f  5  yi  nop 

H  T 


252  HEFES    B.    YASLIAH  S    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

D3»N  vbjn  .vbfb  xb  job  Tirva  jvap  me*o  "  pvi  ?aa»  " 

mpN  py  -^y  ^ax  pyan  yaai  r6nya  nnios  nrxi  nnan 
"yanai  ninya  pnmo  YIDDDI  D'aaao  pa^m  c^yn"   :noKB>  ioa  y 
r6yni  o^ioam  n5  i^fvo  p11  ITJH  nne'  csi  ".mB'Ka  piicsi 
wna  21  D^p3  jn  nvyan  IBT?  nry^N  "i  OK"  : news'  102  /vnpiw6 
»B>jn  nni  in1-:  ^K»  NHSPCID  t?»n  Nnwivn  t^om  Nnspoi 
an  DNI  nosn  -"any  i^  p»  n*p*3n  TW  D^noi  cm  nin  noen  10 
B>  ninE>  nT3n  na  jnn  vn^  pan*  i^n  HIDID  nynnx  ^NIDB'  ON 
p^  n^ym  nne'  o»ai  mv  N^  p» 
DT  n'-jrani'  pao  M^m  n^noi  nn-o 
TJ  n^n  wnsnvn  c>cn  n^  N^  na  nv^sj  ^a  ^yi 
H!>  PB>  n^y»3i  TU  n^ni?  jrDB>  nTa~»  n^n  nat^a  I^DSJ^  y-nxoi  15 

pm  i^DSJE'  yiixo^  JOB'  n^yan 
i?a  -iNB'i  pm  natra  n^yana  nian  ns  ptaa  pptren  b 
a^  mi  nay  n««ni>  n^yana  n^aia^n  b  ixen  nTana 
N^  DH^  woo  pi>D>3  n^yan  ns 

nm  nain^  panui  onn  ^  »b»a  N^an  n»n  wavni  n*o  sp  N^  20 
n»o  Np  xb  Nnsii^sa  nT3n  OIK  mm*  ni  nran  jo  D^O 
•n^y^an  6is  •'Nat  n  wne*  ^a  nami?  panw  DHO  nca  wsm 
".pan  mtaan  N^nnona  mpo  s*a^ni  n*o 


19  a 


,nr^  imat?  naoa  ^niyw  noii?  »ain  /iiavpn  nisaa 

n"   :i^a^a  nip^cn  naoin  nanai  nrn  p:ya 
xan  nos"  ".}osy  »aa3  pain  f>yi  pvy  ••jaa  o^asnnn  ^yi  pvy  »aa3 
ii>  an  p»n  }sao  n»y»  nt^x  ^a»  DIBTSI  j^nn  DIB^I  D^nK'  npi^  jsnn  5 
T  B\VO~\  pnn  Dv^o  ^B>  npi^  an 


HEBREW    TRANSLATION  253 

H?  ny  a^n  WN  DIN  nmy  p  nry/N  V  :*nyi  ".pvi  jaao 
oa  payn  iinat?  py-ian  Nin  ami  ,na<bpn  Nin  pnnn  ".jan 
D«D'aan  I^N  parni  paixTin  I^N  paxnnn  parn  jn  I^NI  pax-inn  jn  I^N" 
JIT  pvnn  nona  ^  aira  nyun  N^  HD  BIN  <IDV  n  min*  n  nan  10 

"  :D"3jy  nn^o  inn  now  ". 


103  /nn:    xin  7-1x1  innn:  nyn  IE>NI  nyt^  nx  n: 
ono"  :no«*«no3  7DV  D*B£PD  mns  I:*K  n»wn  |or^  IIOK  w^mam  u,ai  nt3  ma  ns»  ^D" 

nns4  TTJ  ^nn  ni?na  nnx  -m  ^nn  ICN  nv  D11^^  niTta  15 
nna  ••ann  nnx  on  ina  Tin  nv  o^^  nna  D^iyn  SJID  nyi 
-p»  *ann  n^n^  ina  m  nn  nxnoi  nns*  nna  »ann  nnx  nycn 
N  DSI  ".niyc'  pTia  pstr  DV  nnxi  D^B'  Tta  nns  ny^i  nv 
"Tana  nsDca  IN  l|^sn  nyc'  -aoos  vim:!  ''D11  naco  ^no^  nn"  :maa 
nna  »ann"  :nosB»  103  /«n  I|D<I  b  nna  nvnb  "px  "layni  ^inn  20 

nbot  nhy  iva  nr  nn  DM  hnai  pisn  nsyai 
bzb  T-ra  nvni?  3"n  natrn  mo11  nacos  IDS  OKI  ",DV 
nnna  naio  na^n  mo11  pao3  ina  ynn"  :noN^  103  ,tn»  D^C'  moo  DI» 
",no  D^?«WB'  |V3i  n\n  ntryo  nmn1'  n  ON  nat^n  nio11  pao3 


19  b 

y  nny  N^>  nyn  "  pay  i?N  nsrcvi  n«  ona  Dn^oty  n^bn  in11 
.npinn  ISDSDB'  IN  tonn  mpon  nx  PISHK'  DV^O  /njw  nvpo  ^2a 

SJDBD^  IN  nyH3   p31  31T3  p3  H^;^  p3  TT3  "    :  nONB'  1O3  plb 

fin11  N^  DIN  i'Nyoc''1  -i  PTID  N^  bas  ^DDDOI  pjain  nna  3^"n 
i^  nmo  nhy  nna  rrn  DNI  ".iy^n  HN  JTWD  Nsne>  ••aao  nonxa  5 
"  :no«E>  103  pnp11^  pip  nea  nnh  v^y  n»aane'3  nyt^  HN 
nnaa  nnxia  DXI  ".mom  ^i?^  N^OI  nyna  ^po  nyp  n»aan 


ova  I^NI  nyt?'      'nN  naj  nnv  nNoo  r,yiv 

T  3 


254         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

ninpta  niVD  e^tra  "man  no«3 "  :  noNt?  103  7vmva  <D»  IN^D  N^> 

nbab  HIVD  DHD  D'nu'a  inim  DTID/  NDU/DI  n/abDi  p*  10 
•63'  vwtt&  nayB>  ;Dtn  JDI  ".nivo  no  i»y  NDD^I  n-iso 
pw  DV  D^y  N^N  nnnio  ™»K  nn^anm"  :ncN%^  ioa  ^v 

JDT  1306  .TnB'a  "  onsM  HN!>D  ny  "  payi  ".p"ip  n^y  : 
DNI  ;  Tyc'  e*n  nMc'  anaia  "  V^NT  nyc'  yiD  ha "  vnani  .ttny  i^ia  N!J 

I^NT  i>y  rni>K  ira  ^a"  rnoN'j'  103  /n-rran  'a^n  nnu  a^n  nip  n\n  15 

:ne>  IRND  yTia  nvni?  a^n  /IDVID 


p*3y  vao 
in:  nr  nn  nnQ)  n^ra  pn:  TM  n«3  N.TK  TM  nr  nn  nna  N.TN 

TJ  nr  nn  yna  rbv*?  by  ^nn  febao  *ann  ^D^DD  ynn  nra  »3nn  J0 
TOT  OKI  ".ina  WN  DIN  earn  -vw  DIN  TNO  -i  maxa  by  nn 
pnan  ^avna  a^n  U»K  nxrn  nroi^  ronn  na-6  nro-o 
DIN  ^n  rvai  omwe  o«M»a  «w»a  DIN  -ND:?  n^a  "  :  ncNB>  ma 
p-iao  ejor  ai  »rn  nn^ran  p^a^a  «ia^a  -CNT  »a»n"  ".pirns 


20  a 


i    -IIDN 

".Si  y  «^  nnn  »D»  ^a  "  :  ainai?  ioa  /ID  DB>  e*t?  mpoa  oaani? 
jna"  :nDNB>  ioa  xnapb  ^  -iniDe>  IHN  pNB'a  HIVD  no  miapa  poynni?  nn:^ 
nwo  no  1XXD1  ima  paSno  vn  (ntnonp^  PNOD-D  p-x  inai 
ina  NOD^  DIN  Dam  nna  NDD^  i?Ni  Sna  jna  NDD^  DIN  nry^N  n  ? 
N>ao  ia*NE>  bna  }.na  NDD*  ITJT^N  i  vi^  DN  hna  jna  NDC^  i?Ni 
b  nDN  W«CD  ^y  pip  N<a»  NIHB>  nna  NDC^  ^NI  WINCD  ^y  pip 
nsrnp  vicmpB'  jna  NDD>  ^NI  ny»»  ncmp  intmpt?  nna  NDD» 
pinNi  Niip  D>-Dip  ii>  pNtr  ^a  nwo  no  Nin  nr«"  mow  u.D^y 
IIDNH  na  ejoin'  noa  nyai?  TIDNH  ^NI  ".rnxo  no  Nin  nr  PN  WN  paiy  10 


HEBREW    TRANSLATION  255 

non  p  pirn  n»  by  Da  KDB^I  ;  nbyoi  D'aioa-n  on?on  i^>pt?oe>  icm  nyab 

•vran  niNoo  ib»N  by  "  :  iniwi  ntn  paja  noKt?  103  ,ni?yoi  nna  nwt? 

3p->  inn  tnbo  bjn  bw  n^ra  byi  non  p  JVD  byi  non  by  nbao 

txrby  v*v  »nn  ID  ITN  i>jn  non  jo  ITN  i>yi  nb^n  ^jn  nm^n  ^jn 

hn  JNB>»  i>jn  jyao  ^jn  m  :b  wi  5»jn  movy  np  >sn  i;jn  *i«Ta  nea  15 

ID  mvn  rm»a  1x23  nrn  IDKDH  n«i  ".mijwa  DVJ?  ^yi  £nx 

tre'  no  wn  npK  pm  wn  "   : "  apnn  "  iisaa  now  .IBT?  nytpnn  nson 

no  Kin  nr  D»J3K  bv  naxn  ma  ^y  BWB'  ^  pnsa  any  napac'  no 

E^B'  ^  piKa  inioaa  nap:  apn  ^  PKB>  no  Kin  nrw  api  ii>  B^B> 

K^»K  apn  PK  N^iy  ON  apn  ib  PKB>  no  Kin  nr  o^aK  bv  nasn  ^y  20 

pn  NOIDO  neat?  bs  ian  "  :  IIDKI  ".niosyn  pi  on»an  pi  nt'an  p  Kan 

m«Di  ".xoo  ban  pian  ny5?ai  piasm  nyjyn  pi  n^K'n  p 

ny  TM  ^a"  :i3»nian  nan  KM  n6  nnainn  .nm  pra  nain  ra»K  Tr;n 

n*a  anniw  TTJ  tnpon  n'a  ain  K^ 
nrcon  vbv  bw  «niK3  o^tw       ".n»»  W»K  enpon  25 


20  b 

,n^y  nixa  ^S^  SSi^n  p^nn 

"  :ainatj>  ica  ym3  nK  D^  mxo  mwn       .1300 
^38?  no  niB'yi'  irnrb  o»anw  na-jy  "nnwn"  nbon  ".31  yi 

n^aM  n^a  tr-B'  ijn^a  inana  niB^  wb  D»a»n  p  n'-ac'  nra  nsiam 
niK33  now  ".iwjTB'  pn  n»3^  mnw  IT  nn  n^yi "  :  ITDKB'  ioa  .oni^y^  5 
pany  ib«  T«"^K  **^  i""  "T  nma  -it?K3  "  :  nrn  p:yn 
IT  TM  non  pn3i  cnpn  IT  n-QT  ntrN  nan:  IT  na-u 

lXOn          .ptwin  naoa  nr  i3n«a  1331 
b^  nivo  1^33  by  -IDK  -\D*tb  nyni?  y3^:  IK  *'b  TU  mat?  B«K 
IK  «b  ma  IT  -a  B»K  "  :  3in3tp  103  /BD  KSIM  bas  ntry^  K^K  7n3n  bn»  10 
on  nac>  3;  K^K  nM  xbv  *s>  by  PIK  ma  nK  obek  yn  nyn  13  u.ai  t?n 


256        HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

nvi  DXI  ,vby  bn  Tun  px  nyi  12  uw  TJ:B>  no  yT  xb  DXI  .TUB-'  ny2 
3'n  wx  ,nyn  12  xinB>  '•a  ^y  *]x  yinx  DVT  n3E»  mtry  DTitro  mna  vniJB>  "ISDC 
DVI  n:^  mry  B^B>  p  1125?  ny2  n*n  DX  i?2x  .10^^  bw  DX  D:  m^2 
DIB'  'b  px"   rnoxi  ,"11;^  no  r\wyb  re1  bvb  BWI  ynyi  12  •Tni  ^^yoi  inx  15 

iriN  DVI  ri3B»  3^  p  ppnaa  v-n3  tnx  on  n3B»  ^ 

••a  ^y  PJX  nrn  join  D~np  m^y  vbv  bz  ppnm  pop  vm3 

pxi  pm3  ;nm3  px  p^npn  ^o  DB^I  J3*n3  '•o  DB'i>  px  pjnv  jnoixr' 

DiB^  py*n^  px  px  pnewt?  »a  by  ?ix  nrn  jorn  -inxi?  enpn  jt^npn  ao 
Tin  '•s"  vi2ni  ".enpn  i^npni  om3  jnm:  penpn  •'o  oitj^i  pm:  ^o 
TIV^»  nnviri  ^2101  in2  iTn^  •njne'  DH313  "^i?  Tt3 
p3yn  nMB'3  xpm  ,<ix3n  by  "n:n  n»n  DX  ^x^nn  nx 
•1212  ITU  nx  ToonB'  nx  "  :  noxB>  103  ,vby  bn  njn  px  ^e'ax  nsn  xi> 


21  a 

ronm  m:  nx  enEoni  ".-112  i^x  ix^>  DXI  TO  nr  nn 
^»s  nn  o;i 


nx  ni       2*n  u*x  ynxrn  nwin  ?x  IDT  nrc-in 
DIX  ^n  n^2i  piiox  p*«»a  "ira  6w  ^xct^  n"2  "  :  next?  102  5 

»n  pnnio  p 


21  ^3-n  nnnn  tpira  wu»a  x^ann  x'3-in 


D-tcn:      Swap  ^xpip^  bwnar 


OX 

I2n  mtry  ^2^  nyi2B>m  ".0^3  ox  x^  xoxanp  01^3  ox 
:  noss?  102   nyne'  *:H2  nnc'  nann 


HEBREW    TRANSLATION  257 

•man  by  irbn  niyiat?™  omam  ".nyiatrb  D«w»a  ib'N  nn  nmsa 
".nw  ubi  va  N.T5?  ny  "   :  IION^  i&a  /n:iab  nwNno  D'-bcn^a  pi  yn^ni  15 
•m  nit?y»  y:»nbi  ^s^n  nx  -isyb  rmancn  ny-iasr  —  "ipsa  by  IDN 
nr»N  "   :  ncK£>  ica  ,vby  on'DNn  onm  nr  'T  ^y  n»n^  N^I  ^ni^ 
N!?^  ^y  nn  ^i^a  u  no^  nva  trnp^n  n^n  a-int?  nva 


&b  6^n  ntry  vao  NVVH  baa  vby  ^ 

.niDNn  nx  Tnnb  sbi  nmo  nnK  IIDN^  ipaa  by 
13-Ni  nois  Nin  WB3  by"   moMB'  ico  xvby  nnaB'  ica  onn«  by  nub 
by  inipbnb  D»ans  ^nic'yb  n^ax  \s^  nm  by  yaiw  OKI  ".Dnnx  by 


21  b 

nyazr  yaw  pnv  n  CN  "  :  nose'  103  ^niB'yb  IT  bxb  PN^  nan  by 
xbi  xib  pro  Nine'  DISW  yiba  nai  b^N11  sb^  ma  DNI  ".inb^b  ^i  inix  ppbo  D^ 
bvanr  nyiu  y^  bsa  D:IP"   :ncwj'  ioa  .boa  ma  /b  b"yio  xbx  /b  pro  rvn 
naba  naiaa  »bi  naiaa  nnin  abb  na»  naia  xbni  ib  nos  abb  yn 
".D'bvan  baa  TKD  n  n^nni  n»n  mryo  D*bvan  baa  xb^N  nnw  5 
rvbya  D:I  ia  inb  ib  IIDN  ^ra?  loa  nHaa  nvr  xbc'  m:  o«i 
bam  TND  n  nan  iT'bya  nmo  rvan  p  mian"  MIDKB'  i»a  /'•by  n^s 
xbc'  ma  OKI  ".rraa  nnio  n^byn  p  mun  rva  bbaa  n^by  »IN 
mwn"   :nDNt?  i»a  .n^anpai  binoai  naaa  D:  niDN  i^a  bax* 
naaai  njpai  a»banai  B'xna  IIDNI  n^a  TO  baa  TIDK  iB'an  p  10 
vbv  ma  DNI  <t.D1|3:ni  n-na  nmoi  mawa  HIDNI  n^anp  \r\& 
CN  bas  /ibv  ncraa  IIDK  /bv  bab  ma^noa  pa  sbi  ^bs 
11DK  U»K  .n^bon  nana  mnsNn  nra  s^ai  .^  baa  IIDN  ".nbs?^  no" 

-UDN  "nbo^  no  ba"  ICN  DN  bax  ,an  be?  rrboa  xb^ 
HM  nrn  B*KW  DI^TD  7nan  baa  mn  B««n  IDNJ  ibuB'ac'  nyom  .n^bo  baa  15 
»b*n  p  mwn  "  :  nostr  ioa  .maa  icvy  by  iDxb  nsn  ww  wa  nann 


258         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

n'bion  p  p'ibvn  baa  -IIDN  oyia  yp  *bx  nnin11  n  an  ntw  bt?  '•bva  N^N 
Nb"  inani  ".pmbon  baa  IIDN  ayiD  ^a^  n^bo  an  b^  n^bcn  p  sb^x  IIDN  ps 
DN  nn'on  pra  -itraNC?  noa  ny  niana  nnyb  T"m>  nnaia  "nan  bm 
nw  lansy  xb^  na  im^ybi  onpnb  ^nx  man  nno  DNI  ;  pr  ib  yap  20 
p  na  bba^  "  nan  bn^  xb  "  payi  .ptrx-in  naoa  m  lanxa  naai  / 


can  rvrw  nn  }^in  man  nt^y  N^tr  nan  ^n1*  N^  "  :  HON^  103  /ana* 


22  a 

K^  DI^  o^n  invy^  ns^  «i>  DnnN^  nan  DK  jnia  pnni  icvy^ 
my  now  "."6  p^n^o  onnK  J>3«  ^n»o  ^N  wn"  :nijn  ".nan  ^n^ 
"  vnani  ",D'i»5j'  ^an  5>n*D  i?nx  bn^»  w*«  vnan" 
wiD3  inab  nnio  DN  /nna  nitryb  a^n^  onaia 
,nnaia  P»KBI  nnaan  o^an  nna      »1Jtoft  n^^^H  Hl^^n       5 
mya       .nNK'a  N^I  man  N^  •Tax  n'-aa  mya 

.n^nai  naoS*       .n!?yab  npase'  n 
oK  IN  nna  mnat?  n^x  i?a  .JHD 
njx»  .ni?  B«nnm  yo^  n-asi  /mya  miya 
,iDip»  n^aa  by  nnosBn  mnac?  nnoNi  nma 
«b  mnoKi  nma  !?a  ,nr  iy»B>  nva  nnix 
ai  b  nna  inn  »3  n^Ni "  :  ainac'  wa  ynnw  n^as  N»an  -0  yni> 

nna  nnab  nnyab  nnioe'  ptm  ",ai  nw  n-ax  N^an  CNI  ai  nna  rw 
DVI  nasy  mK'y  D^ncy  sin  ,nbat?  pnaa  xb  DN  na  v\iv]k  na^n  NMB' 

»n«w  nai  ,oaa  IK  nna  nba^a  PNB>  nabai  ynbyoi  nnx  15 

nb  w6o  QKI  'D^p  nnna  PN 

own  na^n  baa  nbaty  nn»  nx  pnab  o»anx  ,mnai  ^na^  mt^y 

;nra  nxn  DN  ,nnna  n»aK  na^  Di?Kn  Nna  nbat?  r 

ynb  t^nnn  DNI  ,nnyn  Dip»a  nnintr  nnytj'  -nt?  nN^antra 


HEBREW    TRANSLATION  259 

.DIP*  xb  riTw  ,n^P  run  nbya  nivn  DXI  .nma  nip11  20 
nayui?  ,nf>yoi  inx  DVI  nat?  mt?y  D»JW  nb  IX^OB>  nyn  nai 
nainn  /nix  D'pn  xb  "p'sh  ,xinn  jota  n-na  no  m&6  nyT 
nooi  na:?  rr\vy  vasty  nai  .rrv  bxb  B*  ox  /mat?  no  nwyi> 


22  b 

103  yn»by  nbn  m:  nnin  p«  / 
DVI  ruty  mEV  D^nB'  na  ppru  nma  nns  DVI  n:t?  ^  na 
VTTJ  nnx  DVI  njp  a*  p  m^y  D^nB>  b  ppnm  J»D»P  nma 
jor5>  nmp  m»y  ^  b  pp"H3i  po^p  vma  nnx  DVI  n:t?  a*  p 
onnna  p«  fae*npn  »o  D^I  pma  *o  cteb  jaw  pynv  noNty  '•s  ^y  ^x  nrn  5 

jax  ps  now?  »a  ^y  SJK  nm  jorn  nnx  enpn  jenpn  pan  oma 
".enpn  je^ipm  oma  jnma  p^npn  so  DiB'h  jam:  ^o  DIB^  pxnv 
po^p  nma  inx  DVI  n:ty  a*  nn  "  wnm  nanty  PIDI  nna^  jvai 
n{M8>  ^  naio  7paD  ona  PNI  Dn^y  ^oDi5  ^t?>  onm  Dn  "a*  ^a  ppnoi 
o»aiano  "  na^n  D*enn  ntw  N^N  nnaai>  nnya  pa  px  "  inana  ^NIDB'  n^rnt?'  o^nnn  10 
m»y  D^ne'n  naswi  iswa  npnan  »ai  .mt^y  o^n^n  nat^n  \o  ytwi  ^snn  ^K 
wiai  yman  ^oh  nma  no  DB^  nnix  D^KIB*  ptwnn  'xna  :  o»aai«  *at?  ^y 

paa  /inaan  *:O^D  nana  nnw  Denial  nm  nann  ^y  nnin 
nrn  nanne*  fva  ,nrw  '•ntr  ninsn  ba^  .nnyn  Dipoa  nninc' 
nnjw  'ne>  nN^ant^  npi^n"  rnoKB'  ioa  /stm  mtj'y  -nt^y  jiTniaBt?  nnyaa  15 

no  i>aa  «*n  na^n  nnyw  »ne»  n«»an  DNI  ".mma  nmoxn  nivo  i>aa 
W  nx^an  N^  pny  DX  ^ax  .nra  nvn  xb  n^axt^  *a  by  ejx  jrwyk  IC(SN  DX 
btro"  :w»nm  noxi  .mt?y  D^OT  najwi  ntioa  nma  nsnb  •Taxb  nnio 
^o^  ib>x  bnia  npw^n  miy  naa  bovi  bnia  naa  ntwa  »an 
nma  nanai  ITT  ^yoai  nnx^oa  ^xar  .Tax  irai  nai  omyan  ao 

nixnpa  nny:m  ".man  na  n^axb  px  nnaaK*  pra  bov 
:noxi?  ica  .rniyn  Dipoa  rvnyv  *n^  warn?  ny  nha^  DVO  nipia^n  p  Da 
»M  ",naaa  nso  irx  axn"  mcx  iiyi  ".maa  nxotao  nnx  DV  na  npia^n" 


260         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

23  a 

own  n:^n  nnN  nn  bnop  "Varna*  Dnnnn  nE-'tr  'a  Dnaio 
-iiN3i  .lanarnt?  lanyn  nniaaty  rvairfc  p^soo  nr  "aa^  UIBMP  nm 
,mtp  nompn  nivoa  Dai  riMtn  nn»a  noxni  man 
N^N  noN  pN  "IDN  mDNi  "  :  laTim  ncNi  .{rwa  i?n3n  ps 
mm  ".nyn^n  nt^aa  ^y  IDN  mox  ix  6w  Nin  pi  nyinc*  5 
"  ".onnn  nx  x^n^"  :nDKB>  103  ^nnn  nx  D*N*SID  "n^s 
nrvn  nmwnc'  3{yn  OKI  .inn  mnw  man  ns  jn*^  *B  ^y  SJK 
ynuy  Jon  iniK  isn^  1T3  nwnn  ;ira  ITB>  i^  man  12  nnxi 
nr  nn  »n^K  N  w  ^n«n  "ino  icsi  inn  mn:  nstr  "  :  noK^ 

n^  trnnn  DNI  ",r6  piano  N.T^  TJ?  n^  e^inm  5^  IDM  10 
i»pi  "  :  IIDX^  ina  ,p  ni^y^?  ib  IIDN  /nyno  nirn^  ^  njna  la  nnxi  /6  nt^nn  IN 
no  ism  ^n11  *3N  yow  ism  irni  D"p^  rma  DNB'  ai  nox  i?ai  nm: 
no  ia»{?o  SJK  IN  na11  N^  ny  nma  b  iopi  n^po  *JK 
ip^  t5i^  o^n  D^P^D  SIN  IN  D«p  N^  ny  rrma  nN  nam 
ni?  ntnn  DNI  <;.nan^  --Ncn  i3*N  nnN  nyt?>  n^p  DNB'  m:  ^yy  ninan  15 
»a  /a  nivyb  b  inio  yinjn  nN  nwtjfc  i^  HNIJ  na  IHNI  7iniN  a11?  IN  rma 
nn  irNi?  ^a  MSI  ONT  yDt?  Nn  Nin  no  nnN  nan  "a^  naioi  o«p  nan  ^ya  "  : 
jn  ynnN  ny^  pr  nij  n^nn  DNI  ".a^n  ITN  nnN  naa  I^SN  nr 


na  nyair  "ai  iyoy  ova  nniN  •Tax*  N^n  DNI"  naiai  ".Diy          D«P  n>  20 
mip  nmr^  yo^  IN  i^  nain  DNI  ;  mrav  *b  "Mint?  IN  yoB'^  ova 
man  "  :  noMty  ica  ,n-na  DIP^  yDvn  nayB'  nnN  ny  t^nnm  7Dvn 
H^nntr  ny  na^m  na^  ^^a  nan  natr  "Wa  mna  nvma  ovn  ^a 
n^>  ha11  PN  nan  N^I  na^n  DNB>  n^nn  N^  ny  na»  nat^n  oy  nma 


HEBREW    TRANSLATION  261 

33  b 

nyo  O',N  PJJDB>  n  na  "iry^N  ni  mim  12  »DV  n  nvn  b  oma  man  N'an 
.aim  iniNa  na^n  ps  ni?  n  OK  *ra  p  pyoe>  i  ON  ny^> 
nma  ,ii?  iain&»  IN  yoK>&>  ova  onxn  nniN  N^an  DN 
yo»(i  ai  ai  B»K^  mnn  vn  OKI  "  :  aina^  102  ^y  inip11  ,rb  B>nnn  DNI 
/JOHN  «*n  nsrn  newnty  iTNim  ",:i  'N  yiotr  ova  DNI  a'-i 
man  NM^a  noaa  DNI  ".n^nx  IT  ^N^  nsnn  vn  ONI"  :onnan  / 

nsni  ^nanb  i^  IIDS^  oman  jo  wm  .nys  1:00  i^  tw  -na 
102  .nnnina  nx  N^>  .nx^n^  ejoan  n^  rh  ]TV>  ,nT  ^atra  nnix 
nmai"  vnat  naiai  ".nainaa  N^  xvn  D^nna  n^y  isvoai  ODD  noaa"  i 
s^sn  lopin  K^  nma  n^y  nmai"  :n»NB>  102  .opin  K^JBH  lain  N^  ma  "n^y  10 

T*na  ^3  'man  naa  -ax"  :ii?  N^an^  nyn  in^  nci^  i>ya^  nnioi  ".nsin 

N^  ny  ^yan  pi "  :  ncNB'  102  x—  onan^  nnioir  nmaa  cmoN  onanm  — "  nmaty 

pnaio  ;n  nn  w^  --Daan  N^  ny  rmac>  oma  ^a  ni>  6w  vmni>  oaan 

asn  /nrr»3B'  .maat^  onip  ^HDHK  N^n^a  nma  OKI  ",iani>  *?w  pN  imen^  Dian^ 

nan  sS  asn  nan  nma  pTao  n^yai  (T»3N  nelson  mya "  :  noNB>  103  ^mx  na11  ^yani  15 

nnx  ma  ma  nsni?  a^  IIDNI  ".naio  ia^%  axn  nan  sh  ban  nan  ban 
nao  axn  pNi  iaaa  nao  bantr  axn  nao  ban  ro  na^ "  :  nost?  ioa  /niaa^ 
ai  yoen"  ionp^  onanb  0^1^  i^n  nnain— "ai  N  yo^  ova  31  n*a«  yon"  ".naaa 
-nan  nx  nnt^y  DN  nl»  n^D-B'  inaia  — "  rb  n^o11  ^i "  .m^  nmxa  oai  ".ai  N  N>ani 
pao  mno  nn^yi  na^ni  n^  /oai  nma^  nn  "  ;  nostr  ioa  /iaie  lan^  nyn^  20 

nam  nina  -^ana  nxitran  pni  ",n^  r£o^  ty  6i^>  6^>n  nn^o 
31  n'a«  yocyi  31  mna  n^N  nn  DNI"  :aina^  103  /iDnsn  pna 
ma  nao  ban^  "  ai  IDN  nyi3E>  bi  ma  b  "  man  naiai  ".ai  na11  nan  DM 
ma  b "  viani  .Dipt?  noa  lanarn^  1021  /n«B'3B»  DTIP  maia  nonw  ^  nma  na^ 

^lan  ••lay  IN  t^aa  »wy  ona  B^B'  nma  ^N  DTOIT  "ai  IDN  nyiaty  bi  35 
nooa  1^5  yoB'n  N^I  asrpnn  x^sri  pnio^  oasn  N^  paa  ynnxa  o.T3B»  IN 


262        HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


24  a 


<uy  cnanya  B*B»  onan  ,nn  twvai  /nw  nnsn  t&n  nnai  nt? 
B»aj  »wy  ;na  B*B>  Dn*w  nao  row  onn:  ibw   :noxB>  ioa 
cnan  N^K  "b  PN"   :now  ",BB»pnK  N^  DNI  oe>pnK  DN  prriK 

n-'pnn  n^  DI!>  rbi'n  pao  ru^ab  u^ae*  onan  STSJ  »wy  }na 
ia  u"^  ^3  "   :  mow  Nnsoinni  ".injj'K^  B*N  pa  ntw  ns  ^  nw  5 
ra  B»S33  w  u  PNB*  nan  na^  onns  pa!?  nra  pai  na^a^  i^a  pa 
nax  ^s^  DJJID  y^  wip  nvrxa  na»  N^  onnw  pa^  ira  12^ 
nnnx  pa^  n^a^  yao  nan^  ha^  ps  Tipa^  n^oo  y«B»  *nx  ^2^1 
ru»ab  13*3^  yao  nas  ^nao  ^  IWB'N  K^BH  Dtrpnx  N^I  hnax 

nx  ni?  y^N  xbv  n^n  ns  ni?  nns  xta  o«n  nx  ni?  JITDN  NB»  10 
^  N^  5»»  mans  ns^  OIK  Jjnte  pi  nma  ^y  naiai  nanb  T^  P**  nt3Dn 

n3Ho  nna  ^axn  N^B*  mu  DMI  ",nan 
N  pi  jmnx  runo  nna 

DN1   .IHNO  ni3p^  bin 

nr  nn  ^y  ohyn  nna  DJIP  meN  B»W  «wy  m:  jn  I^K"  ;  noNB*  102  /nsn^  nmo  ^inn  15 
WK  ^y  nr  »3i3n  nna  nnnx  nsnoo  nna  ni?  «»3»  ^y  IT  wnon  nna  ia> 
i>3xn  N^  nm:  DNI  ",ia^  nr  nn  1:00  N^N  -inona  nnvi  xb  DN 
DIBTD  /rvu  opi»  o»ans  /ay  rrni  ^nis  b*3ND  ni?yaB>  no  N^N  nan 
N  nma^  n3ru  »3B»  oaip"   :noNB>  loa  /]«^  onmon  onan  hub 
as  IN  i?ya  DNI  ".nN^sai  nn^B'ai  up^a  rmrb  NVI  n^a^i  nan^  bia*  so 
ib  ynw  n,a  nnsi  /inai  intrx  nnj  nani?  ^  n"n-n  -pan'  «B*  yT  N^ 
yn^  N^  nnni3  nnix  yoB»  DKI  ;ii>  yni3B»  nva  nsnb  ha11  ,nrn  nann 
loa  /^  ynjn  ova  nanV  ha^  7nan.n  •h  ynu  n.a  nnNi  pn:  HTB> 
»»B»  yni>  y»«  i?as  onna  B^B*  ^N  ynv" 

nnna  DNI  ",na^  ow  oani  ns*  vb  DIN  TKD  n  nn:  nr^  ynv  y^N  ^ax  25 
Jwzb  pw  B»nn  T.B^:a  onan.no  nan 


HEBREW    TRANSLATION  263 

24  b 

nma  OKI  ".nnvpo  x^>i  nnix  IB*  nan  nw  "  :  nosp  ioa  ,nma  nx  nr  *T  ^>y  nan 
,ni?  inio  "wn  pen  Da  /ono  nnx  ^3vh  n^>  Trim  ^>ax»  wo  -op  i>axn  X^>B> 
n^y  nnix  mox  nx  /ae>n  pen  na  nip*  nno  inxa  nma  nx  n*p  nxi 
^nn  n^  nan  n^yn  pi  D'jxnn  jo  mnj"  tnoxty  ioa  /intn 
Qujyi?  D'aayb  K^I  D^Nn^  n^  D*»P  "iQio  ta  D^xn!?  N^I  D*3ayi>  5 
may  Tiyi  noyira  *I:B'  ruxn  max  ox  ^»nx  nnx  TTJ  Nin^  pn  ""nn^x  D«P 
ni?  "IDX  D^xnb  x^i  D'aay^  Q*33yi»  xh  D^xni?  n^  n^nni  oan^  ^xi^:i 
o^ajyb  xh  o-'jxn^  n^ya  nb  nan  o^xn^  x^i  o»aa^  n^aay^  s*h 
DVpn  Qysni>  xh  D^jy^  miyb  xh  DOXH^  ni>  n^p  oy«ni»  xh 
B^KI  'Mb  nnin  invpo  nmn^  ma"  :nox  niyi  'Moipon  isnni  10 
,07  Tun  yn^  -ism  yim  X\T  ITJ?  nnoi  /nt^x  mnai  /na  ma 
nsn  DX  pin  xim  ;rwn  DX  yin^x  ma  nanh  nim^ 
nno  in^x  nma"  :i-ioxtj'  i»a  .nmian  nrvn  mm  /ntrx  ma 

pnpn  nmaty  TQD  TTa3  nma  intrx  nmaty  130  in3  nma  inn 
ouayn  JD  nma  o^ayn  }D  ni3D  D»a«nn  ID  nma  nnaa  nma^  11302  p-ip3  nma  15 
n3trn  ora  yoc'  nxi  ",ia^  nnn»  nr  nn  D'axnn  p  nmai?  1130 
ma  taab  jna  B>on^B>  n^xo  mai^  pn^  n^»3  nma  nani? 
W  nmaty  nrn  i3in  JD  ••bx"  :ni?  nox11  ^^  ;hnn 
3a  '•ax  "  :  nox  i^xa  xin  nn  /inb  nma  nx  na^  --xanai  ".MOD 

mx  nox>  x^>  n3tya  nma  pn^BD"  .•IIDKB'  ioa  'Vrrw  '•man  20 
ni?  noix  x^x  ^in3  ni?  nioixt?  nma  >a^  5>ai3D  'a^  naio 
janv  n  DK  V^ND  ^oai  ^D3  ma  nr  m  ^n 

y3n  na>  jn3t?  n^on  p3  ^ran  ID 
nan  jani"1  i  ox"  nnoxi  ,Dann  na--  }n3B>  n^on  p3i  nmai 
IBID  Dix  ^ya  Dii?a  xh  iox  x^  nan  p^a  IOXB>  ^yai  ^ya  p^a  noxB'  25 
nan  pxi  nao  i?ya  xi?  naa»K  ^ax  >a^  ns?  6ix  nani  ^  ^ciao 
nao^xi  ".THD  $>ya  pxi  Tno  nan 


264         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

25  a 

vn  DNI  ".ii  nirnji  naofo  mai"  rainatp  ico  ,n^y  Dip"  npas  !?y  HIDN  TJ\S 
:riDKB>  loa  ,pnDKi  jnma  ba  nN  D'pi>  }n  nia<n  /oaa  naai  y^ya  ntayn 
rran-u  IN  naota  DNI  ".pt?n<Nn  p  N^I  iwpan  p  npnai  naofo  m:i" 
jorn  liyt?'  niipi  XDV  Q11^^  nny^  nnxi?  nu  rrvu  psi^n  jo 
:  noxB'  103  /m*  nan!?  n^yai>  p«  /IDIOI  nxir3  5 
«  DV  D^»  "ins^  m<»  »ann  HIDK  nxrK3  nby 
HT31  HD  njWKB'  '•niij  n^yn^  mo«  OKI  ".nani?  ta»  irs  DV  D^B' 
isnn  ^tnam  IN  n^nnxn:  p  inN^  fhy*  rb  nani  .nrn  ovn  j?o  nv 
•unn  mosi  n^  isni  ^yin  niB'nn  x^m  mnj  "  :  IIDNB>  102  ynoiy 
nai?o  nr  nn  ci1"  D^I?  Tina  n^-i:n:tj>  IN  r^onww  'a  ^y  ejs  oi11  D^^  10 
nns  nytj>  nosy  nwib  nsnrp  ^3  ^an  nr  nan^  ha*  M*M  ova  ia  n^"unji  cva 
«i>  ^ax  /VIDNI  nmj  "isni?  ^av  nns  Da1-  ruo^  n\i  OKI  u.iar,^  bw  i:\s 
N  iTjr$>K  "i  poa»  ^B>  pai  nns  oa*  pa  oa»  nnciB>  "  :  noKB>  1103  .D-'ca11  w 
nra  na^ni  ".D^^  sh  nnxi?  N^>  61  s  wpy  n  owb  N^I  *in^  DIN  ycnn* 
nivo  mB>y  •'ntry  i'bian  H6^hwi  pbnn  ^  iniNa  D^J       .yt^in11  na  15 


2?*a  nnn^  nnn^a  niNaza  imi  mron  p  »^» 

p 


pr  ba  manun  n 
,aiyn  ny  NDD  nvn^  TIV  niNDon  niTim  nionan  n^a:a  yxw  ^  20 
n^aan  nn«  Dnxroaa  vn*  dTaen  .vnaai  Nin  ^nt:1'  jn'.«  NEO  DNI 
«»un  bi  ai  yaian  ba  iNoan  n^N^i  "  :  ain3{^  v:a  .anyn  ny  oiaani 
<f.ji  ^>a3  nN  KBnam  ai  VBS  !?y  nhn  ^21  ai  nonan  ^3^  ai  cn^aao 
nain  N/I  yona  yaun  spw  Noas^  onais  ^DDI^DD  on  "ai  yawn  b"  vnan 
p  pi>na  yawm  ".onaa  NI:DD  yaun  pN"   :no«K'  loai  ^naa  paa  /i^y  25 


HEBREW    TRANSLATION  265 

25  b 

by  Mn  nibaun  bv  P^nni  .nKOo  mina  ow  iba  IK  nann 
,0'ony  vn  DK  .nna  twvai  ,D'B$>om  o»anpm  D-n^m  rooxyn  ono  piwnn 

myo  pn  /iniyn  pi  ,nbaa  mina  Njotj11  K^>  ona  yawn 
•nyi  nonan  myi  Tin  bay  B>NT  ^  iiyi  Tin  $>DJ  ^  ntrm 
nay  DNI  ;  Qi^an  D-NOUO  i^n  niniym  —  n^xn  nnnt?'  niyi  b^^n  myi  nnyn  5 
nenaa "    :  noNty  ica  ^ayty  pai  nay  K^B>  pa  N»DI'  onxn  myi  .DINCCD  nrx 

annni  niyn 

nN»a  N»D^  pancxD  D*B^BW  n^ipni  nn^ni  miovyni  b^Nni  naipm 
niyi  nnxn  my  pe'aa  tnTinw  1^1 "   :  niyi  ".nb:  HN»D  xb  bnx  pbaix 
niy  n.nn  ^ro:  b^  nnstan  my  na  ^  n^in  my  SJK  OIK  *DV  n  aw*  ^  nnnn 
n.^ntj>  IK  payw  £21  n^xn  nnntr  my  b^trn  niyi  ntran  n^a  myi  nionan  10 

WN  myety  ntya  y^n  pbnn  ".onsn  niy?o  pn  oninu  nnay  na  f.na 
jo  rvt:) "   :  inDNtr  103  yia  yaun  nx  KC£2s  nn  .nbyoi  ^w»a  nsn»  nma 
nioxyi  nt?a  ia  ^^  nbyoi  nnao  nina  my^B'  nax  *vrbvn  pbnn 
innaa  nax"  :inoKB>  ioa  /a  yawn  ns  NCD"  nn  .c^pno  ww\ 
ninai  non  jo  nnao  nina  i^ax  "nyty  oni>  p«  onaxn"  jniyi  ".niiovyi  15 

n^aan  bai  ".jriKODa  p«ooo  pe>n  p  n^ny^o  ninai  nbaan  p  nnao 
nna  yawn  nx  DVSODO  oa'K  ^KODCH  Dnasno  nnx  b  IK  naoo  pbn  IK 

D*oa  oa^nnb  nt^as^a  IK  ^'•nb  on^a  K!JK  . 
nn  "  :  in^K^  i»a  j\\yv  yaixi  on^y  pra  mi^Kia  vnt8>  rnea^ 

Pinni  ^yiani  aim  ^ax  o^a»  PKODOI  n'-nb  PNDOD  non  1^31  man  20 
11  DSI  o^a*  J^KODO  PKI  pnf»  PNOOD  ynr  naat^i  n 
K\n  nroai  D^a11  PNDDDI  pnb  pxooo  vnB>  nioai? 
vn^  panx  pnc'ia  OIK  i^K^oa  p  pyoB'  pi "  :  niyi  ",nyb  ny» 
i^n  nibaan  nK  Kenans  nnaia  "  ai  aao  Ktsnan  bai "  mam  ",nyb  nyo 
pai  nbsan  pab  «*a  p*in  nan  n\n  K^  pa  bnan  PK  fthyv  onasm  Kin  KBD*  25 
".onaa  NEBO  Kt^wnty  no^o  "  :  ncK  wnm  DJI  ,pxin  nan 

^  pa 


266         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

26  a 

jba  ,nNEn  wo  ,na  tw  pai  mno  wo  ?na  B*B>  nbN  pai  na  bt?  pai 
by  ibin  bai"  v->aii  ",ai  nonan  bab"  :ainan  -I»NB>  i»a  /INOD  nmna 
iiapni  sppn  p:a  fn<sa  by  niabinn  nionan  ibba'  "vaa 
n  nr  vaa  by  nbm  ba "  :  rmwtr  103  yn^n  abai  me'n  »3n«i  pwon  mbm 
vim  bbai  ".tron  abai  mtwi  »riKi  pwon  mbm  nispn  ns  K»anb  ibin  5 

.b^sn  nx  «»anb  n*nn  baa"  :noK»  loa  ^an  03  bbaj  "n»nn  baa" 
ona  ysun  ba  "  :  next?  ica  ^bai  DIN  bx  TOT  "  Kou11  nna  y:i:n  ba  " 
n  nnm  n*a  sba  w  nasbo  ^ba  by  vn  ibbn  nibasn  OKI  ".D'ba  pai  DIN  pa 
^bx  NDDJ  «»K  npen:i  bas  IN  nnn«  nasb»  »ba  IN  n^a  ^ba  vn  ibbn 

xb  PKDDD  p»K  PMDDO  on  nab "  :  neKP  ica  /nban  yjun  10 
mn  nanb  wsionp  IDB^  oniNam  ".XVDZ  D^ba  xbi  D^PB'D  «bi 
is  D^anso  "anyn  ny  NBBI"  man  .nnians  b^a^a  onvpj  wruw  / 
sn  "  :  VIDNB>  ica  .n^bban  nnann  p  inbira  xb  .cnpa  yr  sbt?  na  ^^  nvnb 
o^B'n  n^nn  --bya  mba:i  ".^nriB'D  n»nnbi  m»  niyao  pbinb  iino 
aba  nN")p:n  n^nn  nba:»  pn  /IINCDD  p»«  /OMDODn  aie^m  nancn  nvn  mba:b  15 
"  enavi  JD  mia  wntr  yao  D'en  abac  pn  nino  n^at^  ba  "  :  noNB>  ica 
^n»  roba^a  y33K>  ^D          .U&D  n»3B^n  HlXfin 
nsabm  ram  np3nm  vvm  avm  naaym  nbnn  DHB>  7Q«nn  ^bya  r 

pnyn  ny  NOD  nvnb  mso  /icwnm  oonm 

",31  oab  o^Nccn  nbN  ii  mam  np3«m  31  B>a  Noon  oab  nn  "  :  atnac'  ioa  20 
.31  nbnn  p3a  onnN  tpyn  Tarni  a^  3ion  ba  HN  nbba  <{n^"  nbons?  nnN 
no  baa  NDDO  /nsj  NinB'a  ibbn  ontntm  bc>  n^an  »pbno  pbn  bai 
^byoi  nfcjnyo  nmna  n:'N  im»B>  no  ba  nra  niy^m  ,iba  NOD^ 
ia  B»I  nrn  iiyt^n  JD  nina  Nine*  no  bai  ".pi^n  ;o  ncnya"  :ncNB»  ioa 
jo  BHBP  pa  nra  bnan  PN  ,nba  nba:n  baa  NOOO  nioxyi  cn^i  iea  35 


HEBREW   TRANSLATION  267 

26  b 

K>bn  NOB*  Tin  p  cnian  -ipan  ina»M  M-IONP  ioa  ,no  NW  pat  » 


no  B'Bii>»n  rb  pup  »nn  p  naN  *JN  a^n  n^  PNB>  nivo  no  amoa 
innaa  "nn  p  -an  SIN  movyi  on»a  noa  pi?n 
rnna  n»n  p  n»oo  nina  I^BN  my^  on!?  p«  onaK  "  :  now 
PKDDD  ppn  p  nmyao  ninai  n^i:n  }D  nnao  5 

OOH  oai?  nn  "  :  ITOK  nnN23  ne«  Bin  nanai 
TBDH  nnw?  iBD3  i^asn  «!»  on  ^ai  mvoa  mn  y»o  ns  Tawi 
jai  ^t^a  jn^y  p«p  I^N  /oosyn  ian3i  .n^n  nvn^  ON  nrn 
p  «^i  niovyn  p  yb  onbajo  "  :  now  ioa  ^KDOD  p»«  yiy^ni  a»nBvn 

nani  npjxn  iiyi  ",Dr60  lytrn  p  «h  B^naxn  p  N^  o^trn  10 


friTinw  INI  "  :  naeflcn  moKP  ica      aan  NDt3nE>  ma  —  nayo 

m^na  nxe^n  6w  mm*  i  BDinm  nND^ni  niani  np^xn  my 
DIN  nw  fa  pny  n  ansn  niyo  pn  pine  miay  na  |na  nhnsy  IN 

^NDDH  pan 

DN  ha  \n^a«  ni?N  urn  ni?N  01^  Jbi'n  aha  ha*  p^aa  jn 
n  an  prw»  in 
ni?B3  DN  ^ 

.nKooo  7n»Tipn  nmn^  mrm  nw  yaiNi  an^y  anwa  Q^oa 
.rrrn  nona  n^aa  yanN  inarn^  nya  nwn  mxrn  «^r  nivca  wiarn  laa  nri?  ac 
BN  pi  ;i^a*  N^  pjw  nnnNa  D'pano  anty  *a  ^y  ejN  a^p^nn  nvp» 


P  pyc^  n  DM  "  :  ncKt^  wa  /n^ajn  p  ejiwi  tra^  pirin  xb 

PMDOO  pw  pr6  P«DBD  pn  PN  «m  NED  no» 
p  pyoB>  ^  ON"  :niyi  ".jrrapoa  NH  fhaa  NH  N>5rp  xb  NIIT  -i  ON  a^a*  25 
pi  BWT  ^  b  sjne'  INXD  »a»nio  NCO  no«p  nben 


H  U 


268         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


27  a 


N    NTT  n  ON  }n«»so  nyj^a  niNODn     w  mine  nninon 
naa  nayn  jo  -wan  naayn  DNI  ",fnvpo3  «n  }bi33 
p^an  niya  panap  »ioa  nby  nspan  byi  /iiyi  nea  vxn  n 
133V  "  mew?  iea  ,12  yawn  ns  NCDO  innn  ^an  12  ^  1331 
»6  p  yt^in*  n  ox  ninu  n»nxai  NCD  1^33  y:un  nonx  vvm  1^3  5 
yaian  ^x  DIN  mini  •=,  NS^S  n^»  ijnrDi  N3^x  1^3  »aa  ^y  pn^nt?  Nini 
1^3  »aa  ^y  pneriB'  Nini  "^  p  yBW  n  ONI  NOD  n^3n  nj33B>  noiN3 
I^N  N^I  /INH  ^y  oa^B'  Qi-nn  ^ya  noif'  mm  "psn  by"  vnanai 
33y  ICB>B>  DS3^  "i33y  N^N  PIN"  :noNU>  103  ^^ea 
a  naaa  N13  n^3s2  nipn  NISB'  ^3  pan  lan"  :noNi  ".n^a^  riN  N^nb  10 
^aan  pi  ipyn  paa  avn  >3^o  Da»ay  "inan:b  avn"  mam  ".mbnn  jo  pn 
n  pi  nny  }iaa  av  bu>  pJ"o  nianb  ina^ob  avn"  mew?  103  ^maoboni 
D"no  on^3  on3  yawn  by  D^nvo  "&  cna  yaian  ba"  mail  ".NYIJODI 
PN"  :noN  13-nian  oai  .vby^  onaan  HNOD  Nb  /aia 
by  baatJ'  naxbo  ^3  IN  n»a  'bs        .lilbft  n^^^H   nw^H         15 
baoi  ,NOD  nvnb  TIV  inio  inxb  ibbn  D^vn^n  nao^o 

:ain3B^  103  ^nu11  "]3  -IDNI  ;aiyn  ny  NOD 
nns*  ".ai  j*y  "ba  b3o  NOD11  ono3  cno  vby  be11  I^N  bsi" 
o»ban  b3  nnam  mm  "  pan  niyi  naai  py  "ba  "  moNi  riNrn  nivon 
paytr  DIEW  "yDn3  n3Nbo  D  ntry*  nc'N  ^3  bs  "  mcNi  xona  D"^ont^oB>  20 
,niyiap  nno  ^bys  /ncaatr  Q'bs  inaia  "ona  naxbo  n^y<  -,K>N"  VIST 
ianb  Dn  n^iNni  jBFQibQ  niobt^i  cswa  nnon  DJINB* 
nonyni  noon  nsoia  pbspo  "HO^NO  py  ^ba"  :noN^  103 
aio^o  nuon  OIN  mm11  -i  D^NCD  ^^b  Nbty  noa  ain  niya 
by  «]N  mon  b^i  aap^i  DiDn^^o  py  btr  pbon  n^na  n&rbe>  na  25 
ion  aap^i  BIDPWD  nbaba  po-po  ptj>  NOD  n^aaao  aa»p 


HEBREW   TRANSLATION  269 

27  b 
arp  xta  13  !>y  SJK  moian  ivai  pi^n  iva.  n^nn  nx 


DI  jni>K>  arr6  onn  ^B>  rwyvn  n^njn  prom  D^run 
nsipn  jnta  3rn^>  nnx  in  newo  D':r«o  ^  ejai  maai  ns: 
nns  m^v  n  n^jrsyo  pnym  n^jy  nnn^  niT'av  ""nty  n^yc'o  5 
nx  nt^yi  n:p^  DIDIWD  ^onnn  HNOID  p^apo  <my«o  -ny  ^a 
ajp11!  DIDH^O  n^unipo  VJJN  nx  n^y^o  DIN  mw»  ni  vntn^p 
mi>atrp  n»niyao  ns  ntw^o  6i«  miiT  ni  n^yx  nx 
noam  nan  niinin<ip  nx  n^y^o  OIN  mini 


nina  na  i^i  unan^o  rbix  mm11  n  a:p*i  DIDITPD  iiy  /^  10 


HKDD  bapo  inD^D  py  ^a"  :neK  myi  ".n^nau 
ny  nana^  Tny  DNI  nicsn  ^y  ai:^»  byj»ni 
wpi  PIOBO^  ny  N^-IPDN  uuiB''1^  ny 
a.iiaa  i^  neTTB'  ny  niau  i^  niB'yb  n^ny  tnr\v  nonyn  my 
no  ^1n^l|l  vnae'  nas^o  noi^  ny»  :  a^i  Dion^o    ,8^1155  15 
nioia  ^  p^n  :  prai'n  n*a  ,i>D  po  :ni?aba  .1200  Dnshan  D*»Dpn  jo 
.nipi  ni^ns  :pnn  .rn^na  maip  rprom  .nnyp  ta^upn  ,]rk  nonrn 


non  :  /onnn  .nbsno  :  piyn  .ni^na  : 


,niy  intr  :  NIDIIPD  ,iiy       yv» 
BDIB*  .oana  vby  i^ty'B'a  :cana^  .oisnn  20 
inoixo  nvy  ^a  inaN/o  i^jnc>  ny  nNDD  p^apo  px  py  i^a  " 
piDiriD  vn  jnax^o  ncane'o  n«co 
I:P  an  n^ani  ".|nax^n  1^:3  xini  j^aaa  usnvc'D  nsiou  p^apo 
,TIX  pMno  U*KB>  nat^  i!>  B^B>  ^rni  ^iis  pnno  im  i^  B^B'  nno  nnx  ^13*0 
i^xi  .nsota  o^apo  DJixtr  on»  ^"i  .nxoo  ff^apcn  ono  B*  ."jin  oni?  B«B»  25 

ono  ^  *in  oni»    NB» 


u  a 


270     HEFES  B.  YASLIAH  S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

38  a 

,D*KOB  caw  Tin  Dnb  B*B»  ibxi  ."pri  Dnb  PKB>  pai  -pri  onb  w  pa  n 

pi  .Dnb  PMB>  pai  "pn  Dnb  ^^  P3  bnan  px  ,oba  enpn  'ba  paa 
,0'KbD  nnpa  DDIN  nxB>b  -wax  wi  D^aB'a  waint?  onan  nnix  is^jr  Q^a 
ia  Q^DB^  na^aon  niai  n^ron  nnnni  rfnvwv  m^inan  jiaa 
nan  paa  ^^o  Nin^a  mix  ni«6  i^aN^  ^a  onoi  ,nna  sxi^ai  /D<IO  5 
nonm  ny^nm  nnsni  nsi?n  na^p  paa  /a  pna6  nipirnn  infant? 
loa  .NOD*  pi  }»r  D*pnnb  ha*  i^n  onann  nns  DNI  .on!? 
ni  ninoam  onan  pja  ^mi  omns  ar6  ^^  n^an  b  " 

i»  psi  Tim  oninK  oni>  ps  tr»pn  ^a"  ".ai 
na^ao  mai  o^apn  miai  B^PH  nixiai  Haoi  nan  rrm" 
^a  nxo  DWIN  ppnno  jny  D^  nni?  B^B'  »a  by  f) 
p3i  pbspo  pa  n^an  ba  iNen  Qmno  ib»«  nn  tra-a  nnia 
nbay  inn  OIN  mirr*  i  T»ND  n  inan  HNDB  pbapo  pbapn 
*a  by  SJK  pnw  naop  wan  niai  payn  na^nyi  D'-abn  n^oopi 

n  ba  iKBn  jms>  n»a  Nb*N  b^bu^b  D^i^y  pw  D*KDD  15 
K  min»  n  nanb  n»«o  n  n3T  pa  ps  D-XOD  pbapo  p«en  pnino 
noyo  b^  Nin^  naiD  D^ba  n^yn "  :  no«i  ",n»3n  bya  b5r  nany 

Dippna*  nt^a*  nybii  annsi  nabn  nine  n»yo  bt^  W»KB» 
ponn  nnino  D-JIND  ^ab  nirpnn^  IK  nayn  nx  ona 

ma»pnnB»  ix  nayn  nx  ;na  ninb  mpia»n  Dipprr^  DViasm  pbxm  20 

^nn^o  mwa  pbo  nnnsy  naian  QHOI  ".D-NDD  Q»aTKo  ?pb 
pbon  nnn^  nicn"  :noKc»  103  jctbamn  nx  vby  n»anb  jpnnc'  boso  IN 
omno  pbapoi  oippnt?  »a  by  PIN  D>bnn  nnnK'  pniaa  pnino  o^ann  nnnt?  pbcsoni 
".ypnps  Nin  nn  ypipb  nairasn  ba  "  :  now  niyi  ".btap  DIB>D  pa 
IN  my  vb«  nana>  mo  pn  ,0^3  ssoan  *n  bya  myo  ns^yan  *ba  25 


HEBREW   TRANSLATION  271 

28  b 

.nnx  -O-G  IN  ,Bina  IK  pana  riant?  pa  ,n«BB  bapan  nnx  nan 
a6p  by  t|«  xot3'  ^on  aba  xnpin  Tin  bya  -nyo  npyjn  »ba  bax 
D'en  abaa  pn  ninB  D'at?  ba"  nnatw  wa  ynnK  nan  vb«  nan 
onb  naro  D'a  bn:n  p  D'ba  ntnyn  wpy  n  nai  tna^a  mis 
nseu  bap»B>  nan  nn^tw  ib^BNi  Bin  ib'axi  pnxa  bnan  p  5 
npyjn  "ba  ont:i  ".nxBcb  man  n.nna  ii"ian^  nabai 
ycnb  nainm  o^mai  nuiae  p:a  ^JSKB  o^awin  onanm  npa  -- 
n  pan  nx  p^nso  nnan  nsn^b  Dnip  any  nyat^"  :nBNB>  ioa 
a^bi  nnni»  miax  nn^an  ^a  byc>  natrbb  wao  nnan  nx 
ba^  px  n^a  nat?b  nctr  xnpj  n»bi  nsnp:  rum  px  n"a  10 
pan  rnb  irpn  ii  Nioya  ^N»  nmx  ••baai  c^ax  ^baai  D^bbi  ••baa 
xbn  pa>n  ^a  HNDD  pbapo  xbn  nanx  ^bai  n^as  ^bai  o^bba  -"ba 
cn^b  pine'  ^a  ••inai  natr  jnb  B«B>  py  ninyp  nnai  ",na 
:VIBNB>  ^»a  /iiancn  p  ona  Nyi>ai  brna^  nvrw  sjoai  anm 
nano  bu'  *»  ••loa"  :niyi  ".minB  py  ^baa  rarb  nb  wv  nbatsn"  15 

n^ba  onBi  ".pnnDD  »am  NBBB  bN^b»a  pn  DTD  ^bya  bi^ 
D-bapo  .nNBB  bapon  nan  onb  nan  DN  bas  ;niaiy.n  m»vy»  D^yjn 
".DHVID  niaiyn  niovyo  n-ba  niryn"  :nBNB>  1B3  ^T  ^  by  on 
nan  nrroo  ib^BN  Bin  ib^ax  pnsa  bnan  fa  nnb  na^n  "  :  nijn 
•bab  encK'  naxba  nytra  wn^  D'ba  onai  <C.NBB  nNBB  bapa  NW  ao 

nx  u  D^oactr  ••ban  paa  /onban  nnoai^a  cnB^  nvnba 
n\n  DN  bax  .nsBB  n^bapB  oyj?  yonb  nanni  ^niann  ^BB  pan 
nan  noa  paa  7nsBB  bap11  xnbiyb  ntB  nr  nna^  xbt?  nnx  ^bab  PIB  "ban 
npa  be>  Bipbcn  "  :  VIBKB>  ioa  pnb  nBinni  ^nao  b»  p*m  pnapi  snBBpi 
NBB  noap  noa  onwo  ibx  nn  naaam  nnian  btr  »jnBm  ibt?  monm  25 
xoai  cnn  bc>  ^aaani  ^:B  noa  nan  ^oa  nina 


272  HEFES    B.    YASLIAHS    BOOK    OF    PRECEPTS 

29  a 

nmon  rvai  i>ij»on  rrai  n^n  n^ai  nao  ^  pantani  nta  jncpm  nann 
pya-ii  nor  ta  aanem  na:*D  ^TU  ta  moNm  nnua  pw  o^aj  p-ni 
^Tia  ^  DIKNI  n^an  ^  Dia^i  nocn  niaiEDi  vyn 

DIN  !>B>  pB>D^D  BTDB'Dn  ^3   »DV  n   ON  ^3H  HT  QnWD 

N^N  U»NB>  bi  N?:t3  n3K^  rwn  N^I  naN^o  nytrn  5 
pn:nm  2na»  pw  ^n«n  rvm  hnao  p*n 
'D  p*n  D^NDO  I^N  nn  iwunsn  n^ai  D^ 
inoo  min11  -i  o^i?n  p^n  nine  moi  NCU  r6yoi»  unu  WHB>  jon 
^a  ^y  SIN  niDDn  n^ai  p^^n  nu  n^Nn  ^sm  nxo  i:mj  Ninty  '•isn 

man  nv^oi  »ian  N^N  IJ^NB'  ninu  nswn  ^y  nenon  ia  tw  10 
HN  noaon  :npa  ^  Dip^cn      ,|KD  ni^pn  D>{?&n  ^ns      ".xot:  o^a 
.nnmn  "jan  pon  »fe   :nnm  ^  spon  .JDI  po   :i^  monm 
.onao  jnx  :NID»P  .onaa  na  n<in>aoB'  nan   :noap  ,nnn  po  :na3»ni 
»ion  :  ^i«  ^  .oian  :  DIONH  ,P^n  :  pjj^n  3ay  -loa   :  pnop  ,Noa  po 
nor  ^  aiancni  .o^ioa  »JB>  :  p^nrin  /loa  :  p"n  3nN  nyn^  :  naaw  .Dnirn?  n^an  15 
.nnwo  jmenaian  ,i^y  nnoioi  nvntroB'  pyo  '•i^y  ^a  Nin  aianon 
*\vy  \rbv  jN^nipo  .niy  ^  yxo   jN^aov  . 

:  8W1BOD 

on!?  wv  n^am  .D^piapa  :p3^^n  n-a  ,-iua  yo  :p^n 
n^  nonm  marnt?  noa  ^33  nno  nnN  PNB>  n^an  nn 
ia>DE>i  onaiDi  nuna  paa  ;nNco  n^apo  DJ^NI  iin  nn>  ^E>  20 
nna  Nyi"ai  nni  men  rani  mypi  rnnpi  nom  n^t^i  yaiai 

D^apcn  omann  onaan  niytri  ,Drwo  nx  T>arn^ 
vsbn  nxo  nnx  ^y  n&^V  no  Nin  mna  nnvn  niytrn  /I 
nty  i>3  DIN  ITJT^N  n  jop  *B>  Pi^n  "  :  IIONB'  ioa 


HEBREW    TRANSLATION  273 

29  b 

DN  pibrt  rwn"  :n»Ki  ".biaa  -n»ai  twa  NITB>  ny  DIK  6am 
nbau  nKoom  ".iino  isb  nto  NED  ntr^  by  ne>b«?  13  tr 
jua  ,nna  Kwai  span  nax  tj>»e>b  IBWI  upnnp  Q'ban  ba  by 
pbtea  prroa  ibw  "  :  new?  103  ^"pjnn  .a^n^  DHB>  yo>D33Di  byji  ttb'BJN 
DN  na^n  by  nsboB'  n^ooi  NUID  b^  o*ai  yniai  D'D^DI  N^bsi  xb^aJN  5 
nin  nnb  p«B>  o^bam  ".nbiaa  mnw  nbwsa  OKI  noie®  nmoa  naitra 
nasob  uaw^  ownnan  b{y  D»enn  jiaa  nn  HNOD  pbapoi 
nasbob  nn»  ^bi  n^naa  wawe'  nbx  bax  .onbn 
ins  '•bab  -nan  p  DN  vbx  nNoti  o^bapo  WN  D'-cinnan 
poinna  bt^  ^i  "   :  -n»N^  raa  .onb  nonm  .naia  w  nt^^a  IBB^B>  IN  10 
poinm  be>  n«n«  "   :  niyi  ".D'-NDDD  oan^  nnoo  ity^N  n  bmaa 
:n»Ni  ",pKt30  joaia  is  fp-vD  niiinu  n'-na  ^bya  btn 
'•bya  btj>  ^bab  nnnvo  ]m&  -aaD  mxcu  pcinru  b»>  nunx  no 
D^n  oa^NB'  D"nn  ^bya  nniy  onci  "/bab  Dvnrrt?  ny  nninta 
nson  my  ib^aN  bia11"  tneKB'  ioa  /ba  on»  niB'yb  injna  1021  najw  D'»a  15 

my  iNX11  nna  na«bo  n&y>  ntw  otb  »bn  yce^oa  nainn  myi 

—  "  nvon  my  "  man  pain  ".naxbB  pa  ntrya  xb^  nainn  -iijn  nvon 

my  —  "nainn  myi"  ;mayn  naxbob  inaan  xbi  mb»a  xbv  nniy 

nimy  ntrbtJ'  tfbiyn  NCB'O  *ICN  ia  n«n  n  DK"   :ncKB>  i»a  /naba  nboaB> 

nain  pay  xbi  n»op  xh  n^bo  xbi  mm  sinam  nain  rwo  }n  ao 
nau'no  rvan  bya  bt^  nmy  "  :  new  ".pay  xbi  n^op  sbi  n^bm 
o-ntr  nbyoi  n^naD  nvkv  by  D^naa  n^bc>  nmoB>  n^btso  nnoi  ".jnsotao 
nms  D^CB^  IN  yirby  aaK>b  naapj?  IN  ,D-no  nxoc  nnis  Nocacn  nnx  rrby 


30  a 

nb  n:ainB>  D^nao  tvthv  by  D^nsta  nrbro  nnina  IN  /i»oni  N»aibo  by 
na»nn  IK  /rb  man  mny  b^at^a  na  non^oK'  ^n^o  5noK>  na 


274         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


IN  ,vby  nbron  IN  n»a  nyaw  nbyoi  trnan  npbp  by  n^naa  r 
ix  /ibyoi  D'naD  nyanN  by  a-nau  nya-ix  vnot?  PK>  IN  /inN  nan  na  jpnb 

imop  pao  IN  nbyoi  DTIBB  nt2>?:n  by  DTIBU  nu>Dn  vncp  yvo  5 
.n  nn^by  aat?  IN  at^1  IN  onn^  nbyo^  D^naD  rvvv  by  n^nsa  n 

onnn  p  ma  N^vai  ,12  iy:3B>  IN  no  by  iSratw  IN 
113MB'  ibbn  onann  ID  nbyoi  nan  by  nao  npb  DNI  .D"Nttt2on 
•'a  by  PIN  /a  onponpo  pNty  nauis  nine  IN  7vby  nnt^b  w*3ni  ^-yb 
n^btr  byQn^bc'  DIIWD  NCDO  njnn  "  :  noKB»  IDS  ^KOB  bap1-  10 
niyn  nyais  by  nyaiN  pK»n  nn  nNDub  {yb^  by  {ybir  DNPDI 
:Tijn  ".no  Ncubi  omob  pw  ne^  b;  n^j^  }>ao  ntron  by 
nrbty  by  wfeo  nina  PN  aa^cb  *ua  n^yi  nbao  yxip 
:niyi  ".wn^  ba  n»yobi"  :niyi  a,Nin{y  ba  nrnxbi  nau 

yvpcn  pnn  panoso  yaem  myn  niym  pe»n  ppm  naan"  15 
PJ»B*  i  »N  nn  '•Neb  nao  by  net:  NED  HBD  by  net:  jbao 
PN  "  :  «njn  ".-tt»n  ^aa  by  n^benb  ^INI-I  bwn  ^Nr  i  DIB>D  ^pb  p 
^yty  iiy"  :niyi  ",T*n  HN  ^»^Dn  N^N  NDDO 
ni«D3&»  trb{y  by  {yb^"  :*mn  ".MOB  Nin^  ba  ib^aN 
nmoa  -IN  nbnn  nr,N  n«so  yreion  jo  n»an  ba^  nsoB  n^an  20 
boa  npipa  nn»nK»  IN  na  nainn  nno  IN  na  nnx  pnya  IN 
".njab  nywp  ny  N^N  HNCD  nj"N  nbiybi  PPWB  neipa  IN 
by  K>bt?  na  PKB>  n^baca  "IHDD  n»cm  n  n^n  NaN  n  ON"  :mjn 


30  b 

oan  mn"  :noNi  .rrcna  "ia  nabni  ".Dn^yb  Nbi  n^yb  Nb  N»m 

^JibaDNb  n«^w  nB^B>  by  npbp"  :niyi 
'•a  by  PJN  oycn3B>  n^btr  by  n^btr"  :niyi  ",. 
by  ntrb^o  nina  iwn"  :niyi  a.niNr:Dn  baa  NOD  tmon  jo 
n  nN  u  ropbi  mnpn  nN  «  nyjbi  jrnon  nN  ia  p^ab  i^pnnc'  5 


HEBREW   TRANSLATION  275 

pai  pi»  pa  EIN  jrann*  n  nty^N  n  nan  NOD  pi»  psp  pai  pie  pa 
Ni?iy  DN  iinD  pia  W»KB>  NOD  pi»  BIN  K3'py  n  nino  pio  jw 
tan  nan  noaipa  nrvan  NE$>y  'han  pnr  n  6s  run  na  12  nan  ON 
N^N  ipbro  N!J  ntaa  »hoa  bn  nan  ns^  npnr  ni^y  rrnyn 
na^Nb  ipnr  x^nn  nao  nry^x  ni  n^n  ninx  in^n  IN  injaa  iN^r,B>  10 
h  "styk*  nn  •Taa^  Navy  n  n»a  nnn"  mew  ",iTu6*p  n-nyn 
obn  nna^n  HN  mani>  p:oi "  :  ncxtr  ma  /ua  nnina  onnin 
yaa  nna  Kvcat^a  na»BD  »j?^pi  rnai^i  DJ  nnoi 
a  /^y  i^nNnc'  is  noa  ly::^  IN  ^13 
onno  nNou  NODO  I:^NB>  ^a  i?y  «]N  no  15 
rrn  CNI  ".o^aaan  nnao  nnsDoi  naa^  ^  o^aen  p/»w  nrao  ^ 
V^N  nan^  ""n11  by  lakvm  KCD&I  niyi^n  p  mna  ia  s^i^i  njan 
mien  nans?  nann  HNCD  nn\n  DN  yniNn^  DH3nv  /nsoo  bpo  nan 
IN  DrwBa  nxoo  HNYDJ^  P.TJB*  iNOD'  /^N  man^  nann 
nann  p  KCD»  N^  n^p  IHNCD  nn\n  DNI  .ono  nnNa  20 

inNcae>  nan  b  inan^a  iniN  Neoen 
nyanN  niyn  p  nnNi  pB'n  p  n^s?  pe>.n  jo  nriNi  njan  jo  D»W 
niyn  p  nnNi  paon  p  nt^»n  mints  paon  p  nnxi  niyn  p 
njan  p  nnsi  p^n  p  nthv  \>vn  p  nnNi  niyn  p  nyanN 


31  a 

".lino  weo  ^pn  p  NCD  UDD  nionn  p  ii?  na»nB>  b  bb.n  nr 
nn»n  K»W  no^  n^iNnn  nnnN  c^a  race  n^yi  .noyonji  nKooa  DNI 
nen  paa  /r  nnNOD  axoa  nNcn  .onipn  nasoa  nn^n^a  nnsn 
VNn  ia*NB>  nnN  ^a  naoo  nc>y  DN  5>3«  .n»t3B>  naco  rm  nDyon;^ 
n»n  "  :  in!2NB>  ica  .nninia  fi  n»inni  yro  paa  .onipo  n^iNn  nn^.n  torn?  nci>  5 
na  ncn  ixc'y^  ^ionni  ^isnn  •nsB'yB'  ncn  nino  non  Mtvyv  n^een  moB' 
nnauci  nnauD  IKB^B'  noa  na  iwyv  pnoi  pno 


276         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 

-ins  veb  NOO  \iyth  injw  5>a  ^an  nr  NOD  noa 
n^an  b  "  :  njiaai  nati>noa  nxoon  D^DJ  tana  wvrcn  now  ". 
11  wn  N^N  jnNoo  TO  p^iy  PNI  nat^noa  jnNoo  n»S> 
na^noni  naamo  'TOI  nK>yD  n^o  ^na»  n^yom 
11N2  *?w  mian  ".nas'no  n^»  xh  n^yo  TO  N^  n^ono  n^K 
nno  ni?yi  «i>  HNOD  pT,  ra^non  D^NOOJ  o^an  ^a  mn  :  n\n  nxrn  na^nn 
wra>  noo  nnix  mt^^a  N^N   ;  Dniiva  nn^  IOT  ba 
pn  nno  ^ss  ynnnK  mi^  onnw  jo  DHIK  nnyi  15 
nni^b  nat8>nom  .onn  zwnv  na^non  DJI  nnivn 
for  ^a  ^NOBH  nx  nno  p^o11  N^  ^a  WKW  nni? 
^  PTW  n^an  ^a"  pjy  ,nb  noipt?  nnnx 
nno  niK>yi?  nnn^o  n^a  i»ya  D^nntj>a  :  Kin  "  na^noa 
nnnivo  nnis*  n:^  N^  nx  ,nnx  nan^  nni^yh  nnis  nw^  ix  n^a  20 

;  nnis  NOD^  nm  nnn  yjj^a  nxoo  i^ap^ 
ina^no  ps  maoi?  nnix  ntyy^  JON  n^n  n^an  ^yn  nx  bax 
nniy"  moNty  ioa  ;iaoi»  a^ni^  nnmn 


31  b 

PN  pay  ^i  jnsooo  nat^no  iran  byi 
fnsoDo  nac-'no  aw  ^  jnNODo  na 
^  ^ao  inxooo  nat^no  px  J^TJ 
iiy  n^D^b  v5>y  acynB'  niy  omo  nisoo  nniy  I^NI  "  : 
xann  "iiy  »inan  iiy  fnan  my  nonn  my  -non  my  tf^aop  my 

pnon  my  omo  noan  niyi  nan  my  jcp  ^  abn  my  nonyn  my 

noNi  ".no  NOO  OIK  6am  o~no  OIN  "rybs  n  pmon  myi 

nona  «sn  «i>  "10  ON"  :^a  ^N  ^ao  nnaiyn  nisoon  nana 

N!?I  n-ixmt?  nmna  N^I  nnioaa^  Jira  N^I  msiva^  ana  N^ 

!?apo  N^J  nonm  Jin  nxoio  p^apo  px  nn  nn  nnioaaty  nninn  10 


HEBREW    TRANSLATION  277 

rbi  b^  ninu  nin  bw  NEB  nona  ^  an  N"jnm 
nam  nina  iyap&'  »a  ^y  PJM  r6"6  iwpjn  nona  ^  NC 
pf>iy  pto  napnoa  IHNCD  n^  pn-w  n^an  bat?  NCB  oncooa 


ono  :nsot3  n^apo  D^NI  iin  nn^  jw  n^an  nmai  "3ua*y  n^  n^n  15 

ana  o^onB'OB'  iljs  .pirn  Knot^i  anp  E'lec'  cna  n^cn^c^  ^y  ^a 
nnwo  021  ^nrfo  n^ioai  nuhpi  HID^D  paa  .HNIOD  o^ap»  na»K  pnp 
D^cntym  Nin  anpn  ^ojyn  ,D"Nr:D  pinn  enci? 
cit^o  yDna  twai  jv\sty\  nnuo  jiaa  .onns  o^a  twe^B' 
|tD  o»jpyan  onann  nx  i>aKi>  ona  n-^on^r:^  n^an  nxi  onxn  nx  nis?»t?»  20 
nrn  aion  ID  writ?  no  bi  ,jna  trcvai  ^matap  nnypi  niDDi  yni33si  nnyp  p:a 
ohon  paa  cnxn  nx  roe^  ^j;n"  :ncNB'  ica  /nix  NCDIOH  -iaT  la 
m«n  I|B^^»  nxi  DINH  nx  K^t^i?  »wyn  piino  nnimNi  mwi 


32  a 

D^DH  ha11  py  ^a"  :nc«i  ".D^NOO  vs^ini  n^aeni  fn^n  paa 
bia^  IN  YV  ^3  ^3  N^  ^  ^3  ^3J:)  ^^  ^n  mwcm  nnimm 
nan  py  ^a  ba  6ii>  »^n  »pabrw  nw  nbaon  nxi  jn^n  nx  N^-I 

ainan  nan^  nnx  I^K  nx  x^'inh  ikx  ns  nmi»  n^n  no 

DM  Dixn  nx  IWB'O  Kin»  Tnvo  PB>  no  P%^  61^  5 
jn^  »pa^m  nbton  nsi  fn^n  n^  nan«  "ON  ^N  onsn 
ns  JWBTO  wntj'  o^on  nx  N^VIOI  onsn  HW:B«  nw  onxn 
\nv  mwom  nninam  a^ipni  oixn  •'BTDB'D  HN  t^csw  ww 
Ttb&Q  onoi  ".nnxn  nx  ptyDtro  }rxi  ms  •'trcB^  ns 
Dnoi  .na  Nwai  /nm6  ma^mv  D^naa  n^tr  ^y  D-nau  rw^?  10 
by  r\vhv  "  :  nost?  103  ^0:^0  IN  nsD-i  ^y  nn^nt^a  niyavx  B^B>  ^y  niyavx 


nnnrnm  nnnnoo  nnatan  tM?  n«oo  mnnn  niinta 
i  nca^o  n^^on6  nx^yc'  p/p  ^y  B>^"  rniyi  ". 


278         HEFES  B.  YASLIAH'S  BOOK  OF  PRECEPTS 


p  DN  Ni5N  /IITVD  pi  nWttD  |JW  p3  ^IHBDO  DTO1  ".mine 

pa  onaon  ninetae"  :not«p  103  ,v^y  i^nxn  IN  n»n  iy:u  is  yj3  jna  15 

nmro  OIN  ^n  n>m  *NDB>  n^n  nan  niNota  p^xo  p^B'  pai  nn^so 

".nmna  I^NI  li'N  DIN  ^N^»:  pi  mN&ta  mn^»o  jr«en  nnino 

pn  nan  psn:  6w  pyo^  ni  »DV  n"  ,M"»DN^  103  ^N^OJ  pia  na^m 

nniani  hyaom  naam  nbnn  onoi  ".onio  WK  vnanai  onao  nnsuon  Wwa 

n^ynp  Dn^a  nwvm  nnipm  nnrni  n*»n  nnni?  20 
ni»nn  p  pn  NDB  iDvy  ^an  DB>  i^  vrw  nwno  ^3  b" 

i^yj^  nwxni  nnpm  n^vni  i^n  nnnsr  nmani 
moo  mn  DNI  ,n  i«vai  ^nu'si  noso  n"^y:n  rbwb  narae'  o^an 


CORRECTIONS   IN  ARABIC   TEXT  OF   HEFES 


Fol.  7  a,  1.  3.     Dans'  should  read 
Fol.  28  a,  1.  i.     t3'  should  read  \y 


ADDITIONAL  NOTE 

In  the  Jewish  Review,  1913,  p.  212,  there  appeared  an  article  by  Mr.  Jack 
Mosseri  describing  some  Genizah  fragments  in  the  library  of  the  Cairo 
Jewish  Community,  and  mention  was  made  of  autograph  fragments  of  Hefes 
b.  Yasliah's  Book  of  Precepts.  Thus  far  I  have  not  been  able  to  secure 
a  photograph  or  detailed  description  of  those  fragments. 


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